Its A Wonderful Life
by Eastendersfan444
Summary: The third installment in the Christmas Stories of Joey and Lauren, Follows on from The Twelve Days of Christmas and A Christmas Song.
1. Chapter 1

Well, it's almost that time of the year and myself (Eastendersfan444) and 74Crazychick present our new Joey and Lauren christmas story called It's A Wonderful Life.

The first chapter will be posted on Sunday 13th December and there will be one chapter a night up to Boxing Day.

We hope you like it. And if you do you know what to do...leave us a a review.

Every time a bell rings, a fairy gets it wings...

Merry Christmas.

xx


	2. Chapter 2

**It's a Wonderful Life.**

 **AN: Okay so it's that time of year again. The third Christmas Story by myself (eastendersfan444 and 74Crazychick. We hope you like it!)**

 **Prologue**. **It's A Wonderful Life.**

 **Friday December 13** **th** **2019**

Lauren smiled, watching as Joey sat on the floor while Eve drew a picture of him. She would spend at least half an hour drawing a picture, but the end result was always the same. A stick figure with a characteristic that Eve clearly thought made you distinguishable from all the other stick figures she drew. Pop's had a large shiny bald head and long arms to cuddle Eve with, and he always had cake in his hand. Ganny Tan had a large mouth…which Lauren had to bite back her laughter when she saw the look on her mum's face when Eve showed her the picture the first time. Lauren had needed to make her mum feel better, saying Eve repeatedly said that Ganny Tan always has a big smile on her face and that's why Eve had drawn her with a big mouth. Of course that wasn't what Joey said the big mouth stood for when Lauren told him she'd had to placate her upset mother but she kept quiet about that.

Auntie Whitney's stick figure always had large blue eyes and bright red lips. Uncle James had a big nose and a large brown mole on his cheek. Auntie Abi always had long blonde hair whereas Uncle Jay's always resembled a gingerbread man, much to his delight and amusement. Auntie Alice and Ganny Sarah were always pictured together, which Joey found amusing because they often visited separately. Alice's eyes were so big and brown and she always had rosy cheeks. Ganny Sarah wore flowery dresses and had big hair.

Joey's pictures always had his long sideburns, his brown eyes and his muscly arms as well as a big smile. Lauren's picture…well Lauren's picture changed on a regular basis. Sometimes she was cross mummy with an angry face and her hands on her hips. Sometimes she was working mummy with her pens and drawing books. But on most occasions she was happy mummy with a smile on her face and she would be holding Eve's hand. In fact, the only consistency in the pictures of Lauren were her long brown hair, big brown eyes and her big boobs. Joey found it hysterical that Eve had picked this as one of Lauren's characteristics. Her stick figure now was…well we'll come to that later…

'Dada keep till!' Eve scolded him when he moved to scratch his nose.

'I'm sorry Evie, daddy's nose itched' he told her apologetically.

'Evie have to start over' she sighed dramatically, screwing the paper up and tossing it over her shoulder, in much the same way she'd seen her mummy do when she was working in her office. Joey smiled when he recognised the gesture. She was growing more and more like her mummy every day. He snuck a glance at Lauren when Eve wasn't looking and saw she was daydreaming in the kitchen. Something Eve was also prone to do, which Joey found cute when he discovered her doing it.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren stood in the kitchen, remembering her shopping trip in late January when she'd seen something she never thought she would see.

 _Lauren waited in line at the pharmacy just outside Walford to pay for her purchases. She was waiting behind one person who was having an argument with the pharmacist about her prescription. Lauren was trying her best not to listen but it was difficult to avoid. To distract herself she looked around the store and saw Whitney at the aisle she'd just been in. Whitney was frowning as she looked through the things in front of her. Lauren stepped out of the queue and walked over to her. Lauren reached out and picked up a box 'These are more reliable' she said to her. Whitney looked up at her in surprise, her cheeks growing pink as she saw her friend. 'I'll keep your secret if you keep mine' Lauren said holding up her basket to show Whitney five of the same boxes she had, mixed in with her other shopping._

' _Thanks' Whitney said taking the box from Lauren. 'So you and Joey are having another baby?' she asked her as she followed Lauren back to the queue._

' _Trying to' Lauren said 'we've been trying since Christmas' she told her. 'I'm just getting stocked up for the next few months' she said 'so you and James….?'_

' _We've talked about it' Whitney said 'we're not trying as such, but we're not exactly being careful either' she told her with a blush 'but I think I might be, I'm 10 days late' she told Lauren._

' _Well fingers crossed' Lauren said with a smile as they got to the front of the queue. Lauren paid for her shopping and then pulled the plasters out of the shopping bag and put them in her purse. She saw Whitney looking at her with a confused look on her face._

' _Miss Kitty plasters. It's the only thing that stops Eve crying when she hurts herself. Joey uses them when he cuts himself shaving, so I have to sneak them into the house and hide them' she explained to her. 'Listen, Eve's at play group and mum's picking her up later…I was going to go home for lunch but we could go to the Vic?' Lauren suggested._

' _I could eat' Whitney nodded her head._

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

As it turned out Whitney was pregnant, Lauren, however, was not. But both she and Joey hid their disappointment as they congratulated James and Whitney on their good news during a rare night out. Later when the two of them were back in their own home, Lauren had disappeared into the bedroom in tears. Joey had followed her after he'd thanked Tanya for babysitting Eve and shown her out.

'Babe?' he said climbing onto the bed beside her, she rolled over, moving into his arms as she sobbed against his chest. 'Hey, come on. It'll happen soon' he told her reassuringly, giving her a squeeze.

'What if it doesn't?' she asked him 'what if there's something wrong with me?' she blinked at him.

'We've only been trying for a month' Joey told her 'I think it's a little early to start thinking that there's something wrong with either one of us' he said softly. 'We'll just redouble our efforts' he told her with a grin, making Lauren laugh.

'We're already having sex every day' she told him.

'Then we make it twice a day or three times a day' he replied, pleased she was smiling again. 'In fact…' he smiled as he leant forward and kissed her.

Lauren smiled as she remembered the events of that night. Joey had been insatiable…to be honest so had she. And then it happened. Lauren was pregnant too. Somehow she'd kept it a secret from Joey for six weeks… until his 30th birthday. Lauren grinned as she remembered his reaction. He was so pleased he'd actually cried and when they'd gone to bed later that night…well let's just say the earth definitely moved.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren looked over at her husband and daughter again. Eve's tongue was sticking out as she drew. Every now and then she would glance up at Joey and study him before looking down at her piece of paper. The look of concentration on her face was so cute. Her hair kept getting in her eyes and she would swipe at it every few seconds. Lauren remembered the "argument" she and Joey had had when Lauren had tried to cut Eve's hair and Joey had come home unexpectedly just as she was about to start.

It was lunchtime when Joey walked into the flat and found Eve sitting on Lauren's lap with a towel around her shoulders. Her hair was wet and Lauren had a pair of scissors and a comb in her hands. He took off his jacket and coat, walking to stand in front of Lauren. Eve had tears in her big brown eyes. 'What are you doing?' he demanded from his wife, his voice angry.

'Trimming her hair. It's too long and keeps getting in her eyes.' Lauren explained to him.

'Evie no want haircut, dada' she whispered to him and a solitary tear rolled down her cheek.

'It's okay, baby' he said as she scooped her off Lauren's lap 'mummy's not going to cut your hair, darling' he told her as he glared at Lauren.

'Weally?' Eve looked up at her daddy.

'Really. You heard her, she doesn't want her hair cut, Lauren' Joey told her, holding his daughter tightly in his arms.

'I wasn't going to take a lot off, just an inch' Lauren said standing up, tossing the towel that had fallen off Eve's shoulders onto the sofa.

'I said no!' Joey told her firmly. The two parents glared at each other, finally Lauren relented.

'Fine.' Lauren shrugged her shoulders. 'When she starts falling over and walking into walls because she can't see, you can deal with it' she told him. She stormed into the kitchen, putting the scissors and comb on the counter with a slam. She grabbed her coat and keys and the front door slammed as she left the house.

Eve burst into the tears at the absence of her mummy 'Mama gone' she whimpered against Joey's neck. 'Mama's koss wiv Evie' she sobbed.

'No baby, mummy's cross with daddy, not you' he told her softly. 'Shall we go and find some cakes?' he asked her, trying to stop her tears.

'Evie not haf cakes before tea' she told him, shaking her head.

'Well I'm sure we can make an exception just this once' Joey told her.

'Weally?' Eve's face brightened and her tears stopped, which was exactly what Joey had hoped for.

'Yes really. Come on, let's see what we have' he carried her into the kitchen.

Lauren came back half an hour later with a brown paper bag in her hands as she walked into the lounge. 'Mama home!' Evie exclaimed abandoning Joey and running across the room to Lauren. Lauren crouched down to catch her little girl in her arms.

'Mummy is home and she's got a present for you' Lauren said letting her go and holding out the bag to Eve.

'A itten?' Eve asked hopefully, eyeing the bag.

'No silly, how is a kitten going to fit in a little bag like that?' Joey said crawling over to them both 'why don't you open it and see what mummy's brought you' he told her, he looked up at Lauren and smiled at her, having an idea of what she'd got.

Eve opened the bag, peering inside. 'No itten' she said, disappointment clear in her voice. She reached into the bag with her little hand and pulled out some hairbands. 'Mama?' she looked up at Lauren with a confused frown.

Lauren took one from her 'They're hairbands, baby' she said 'See… this one has Miss Kitty on it and the other one has Olaf…which one do you want to wear?'

'Laf pease, mama' Eve said firmly.

Lauren nodded her head with a smile and she put the hairband on Eve's head, pushing her hair away from her eyes. 'See that's better, no more hair in your eyes' Lauren told her with a smile.

'Evie look pity, mama?' she asked.

'Evie looks very pretty' she told her with a smile.

'Daddy wear Miss Kitty' she said, taking the other hairband from Lauren and turning to her daddy. She poked him in the eye twice with one of the ends before Joey helped her put it on his head. 'Daddy's hair no in eyes no more' she smiled at him.

'What do you say to mummy?' Joey prompted her.

'Fankoo mama. Luvoo'

'You're welcome Evie. I love you too' Lauren said, pulling her daughter into another hug.

'Mama luv dada too?' Eve looked at her mummy.

'Yes, mummy loves daddy too' she replied with a nod of her head.

'Kisskiss' she instructed them both. Lauren smiled and Joey reached forward and kissed her softly.

'Thanks babe' he murmured against her lips.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren turned and looked into the lounge. They were a bit late in putting up the Christmas decorations this year. Joey had been working hard at the club as he'd given James the last three months off as paternity leave, he knew how hard it was to have a new-born baby in the house and Whitney and James had also moved into a place of their own. Due to the refurbishments made at the club the following year, they were doing incredibly well and the club had made the money back times two already, so he could afford to give James paid paternity leave, but it did leave him a little shorthanded at the club. He'd needed to be at the club more than he would've liked, working long hours and he'd missed spending time with Evie and Lauren. James had been back at the club now for a couple of weeks and Joey was showing him the changes that'd been made in his absence and then he was going to go back to working full time…just in time for Joey to be able to take some time off himself.

Lauren smiled to herself as she remembered when they'd told Eve that she was going to have a baby brother or sister. She'd thought she was getting a kitten and was worried that the new baby would take Mister Pink away from her. But Joey had assured her that they would buy a teddy bear especially for the new baby. They'd told her just before her second birthday party and she had told everyone that was there that daddy had put a baby in mummy's tummy.

Max and Tanya were both thrilled for the both of them. Both equally excited to be grandparents again. Max expressed a preference for a grandson and Joe had laughed and said he'd see what he could do about that. Tanya was just thrilled for either a boy or a girl. Sarah and Alice had also been pleased with the news. Sarah had cried when Eve told her and Joey had hugged her for a long time. She told him she lived too far away from them and needed to move closer so she could spend more time with Eve and with the new little bundle of joy that would be coming. Not long after Sarah and Alice had moved closer to them in fact. Three months ago a house came up for rent which was a 20-minute drive from the Square and Alice and Sarah had moved in with help from Lauren, Joey, Max and Tanya. Joey was pleased that his mum and sister were closer to them now and they'd get to know Eve better and even Eve called Alice by the nickname Joey had given her, Al. Ganny Sarah was Eve's new best friend much to Tanya's dismay. Ganny Sarah never gave Evie Marmite and gave her cakes… a lot.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

It was safe to say that Lauren, Joey and Evie were looking forward to another family Christmas.

Oh…before I forget the latest picture of Lauren by Evie had the usual long brown hair and big brown eyes, the boobs were also still there. But the addition to the latest pictures of Lauren was a very large belly. And inside her belly was a little face looking out and waving…

 **AN: Okay so this year the titles of each chapter are titles of Christmas films…hopefully the titles of the films should give you a bit of a clue about what the chapter is going to be about. Leave us a review. 74Crazychick and I are waiting to hear from you. Back tomorrow…any guesses for tomorrow's film title?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again… another chapter from me (eastendersfan444)… with a chapter named after one of the best family Christmas films ever…**

 **Chapter One: Elf**

 **Saturday 14** **th** **December 2019**

Lauren heard someone at the door and she put down the toast she was buttering and headed for the door, licking her fingers as she went. 'I'll get it!' Joey yelled out, speeding through from the bedroom, beating Lauren to the door. She rolled her eyes and padded back into the kitchen. She looked at Eve and smiled. Eve grinned at her and yoghurt dribbled out of her mouth. 'Evie…' Lauren sighed, shaking her head, she picked up the baby wipes and cleaned her daughter's face before she returned to her toast.

'Evie want ammy toast' she said, putting her spoon down on the tray in front of her.

'What do you say?' Lauren asked her as she cut up some of the toast she was eating.

'Now!' Eve replied as Joey came into the room.

'Hey! Manners, young lady' Joey said to her as he walked back into the room and over to her highchair, running his hand over her head 'I think the word you were looking for was please'

'Pease, mama' Eve looked up at Lauren and batted her eyes at her causing Lauren to giggle.

'Here you go, baby' Lauren put the toast on the tray. Eve picked it up and started to eat. As Joey waved the box at Lauren.

'It came' he said to her with a grin.

'What came?' Lauren asked him 'will you stop waving that in my face' she smacked his hand away in annoyance when he continued to wave the parcel about two inches from her nose.

'The E.L.F' Joey said excitedly.

'What's an E.L.F?' she frowned at him.

'Not an E.L.F' Joey rolled his eyes at her 'THE E.L.F all the way from the North Pole' he lowered his voice to a whisper so little ears didn't hear. Lauren looked at him as she picked up some more toast and ate it.

'Okay… you have fun with that' she told him.

'Where's your Christmas spirit?' he poked her in the side.

'My Christmas spirit is wishing she was still in bed asleep and that she didn't have to get up 8 times in the night to pee. My Christmas spirit is also wishing that her husband didn't go out with his mates last night and get so drunk that it made him snore all night long, keeping his heavily pregnant and knackered wife awake. My Christmas spirit is also...' she glanced at Eve and lowered her voice to a whisper' pissed off that said husband thought it would be funny to wake her up at 3am to tell her he was home…my Christmas spirit is also pissed off that said husband thought the wardrobe was the bathroom…' Lauren told him.

'Oh…' Joey said with a sheepish look on his face. 'Do you want me to go clean that up?' he asked her. Lauren glared at him 'O…kay…I'll go do that now then' he said to her, leaning forward for a kiss. Lauren turned away from him, denying him and Joey sighed and turned to look at Evie who was watching them both with interest. He pulled a face at her, making her giggle and Joey went back to the bedroom to sort out the mess he'd made the night before.

Lauren cleaned Eve up after she'd eaten all of her toast, lifting her out of the highchair as someone knocked on the door. 'Shall we go and see who that is at the door, Evie?' Lauren asked her.

'Wanna see dada' Eve said squirming in Lauren's arms. Lauren put her down on the floor and she ran off towards the bedroom. Lauren walked to the door and opened it, smiling when she saw her dad there.

'Hi dad' she smiled at him as he kissed her on the cheek.

'Hello, babe. You look tired' he said to her with a frown.

'I didn't sleep well' she told him 'this little one was jumping up and down on my bladder all night' she ran her hand over her belly 'and Joey woke me up at 3am to tell me he was home'

'What was Joey doing out that late?' he frowned as Joey came out of the bedroom carrying Eve.

'He and James went for a boy's night out' Lauren told him as she shut the door. 'Evie, look who is here to see you'

'POPS!' Eve squealed loudly in Joey's ear. He closed his eyes and lowered her to the ground, his face paling as he was reminded of his hangover and she ran over to Max. He smiled, bending down to pick her up.

'Hello sweetheart' he said wrapping his arms around her and lifting her up.

'Hewwo' she grinned at him.

'I'll go get her things' Lauren said to him, as she walked towards Eve's bedroom.

'All right' he nodded his head and carried Eve to the sofa and sat down with her on his lap. 'Late night was it?' he asked Joey.

'Something like that yeah' he nodded his head 'a little later than I thought apparently' he added sheepishly. 'I woke Lauren up'

'She mentioned that' Max said, his tone letting Joey know that he was not amused.

'You don't have to say anything Max, Lauren's already made it clear she wasn't impressed' he told him.

'Have you mentioned to Lauren about Christmas Day?' Max asked him, changing the subject.

'Kissmas?' Eve repeated 'Wudy?'

'Yes darling, Rudolph' Joey said with a smile as he took a seat next to Max. 'I've broached the subject and she bit my head off. She's insistent she wants to stay here' he told him father-in-law. 'Maybe you could try your luck?' he suggested.

Max nodded his head and he smiled at Eve 'I'll talk to her about when she comes to pick up Eve later' he told him. 'You and I are going to go play at mine, aren't we?' he asked her

Eve nodded her head 'Pay at Pops' Eve said and she turned to look at Joey 'dada come too?'

'Daddy can't' he shook his head 'daddy has to talk to mummy and then daddy has to go to work' he said to her. 'Maybe next time?'

'Kay' Eve said as Lauren came into the room with a bag over her shoulder and Mister Pink in her hands. 'Miter Pink!' Eve exclaimed scrambling off Max's knee to run over to Lauren. 'Miter Pink!'

'Mister Pink was still asleep' Lauren crouched down as best she could to talk to Eve, she handed the bear over to her daughter. Eve looked down at the bear and she smiled at him.

'Miter Pink tired' she said. 'Dada raked Miter Pink up'

'I know the feeling…' Lauren murmured as she got up, she held the bag out to her dad 'everything you need is in here, she's wearing knickers now, but every now and then she has accidents so there a couple of changes of clothes too, just in case' Lauren told him. She looked down at Eve 'You remember to tell Pops when you need to go to the toilet won't you?' Lauren said to her. Eve looked up at her mummy and nodded her head.

'Evie tell Pops, need wee wee' she repeated and held her arms out to Lauren 'Mama up pease' she said, Lauren bent awkwardly and picked her up, Joey frowned but stayed silent.

'You be a good girl for Pops okay?' she asked her. 'Give mama a kiss.' Eve squeezed her tightly and planted a loud noisy kiss to her cheek. 'There's a good girl' she smiled as Joey got up and held his arms out to Eve, taking her from Lauren.

'Does daddy get a kiss?' Joey asked Eve. Lauren watched the interaction between the two of them and then smiled at her dad.

'You should go get some rest' Max told her.

Lauren nodded her head 'I plan to' she told him.

Max got to his feet 'Okay, we'd better go. Pops has got a lot of fun planned for you today' he told her with a smile.

'I'll pick her up at 4pm' Lauren said to him. Max nodded his head

'Anytime is fine' he replied.

Lauren watched as Joey put Eve's coat and shoes on and saw Max to the door. Lauren walked through to her office and pulled out the latest storyboard she was working on and she sat down at her desk.

'I thought you just told your dad you were going to get some rest?' Joey said from the door way.

'I have a deadline' Lauren replied with a sigh 'I thought you were going to clean up the wardrobe' she said.

'I will…I am' he said to her. 'I'm sorry I woke you up when I got in babe. I didn't realise how late it was' he told her.

'I know you said' Lauren replied.

'Lauren…'

'Joey…! I'm trying to work' she snapped at him.

'Okay…sorry' he said to her. She heard him go into the bathroom and then a few minutes later he went into the bedroom with the cleaning equipment.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Forty-five minutes later Joey went to tell her he was going to work and say goodbye to her. He found her asleep at the desk, increasing his guilt tenfold. Carefully he put the lids back on her pens and he lifted her carefully in his arms and carried her through to the bedroom. After laying her in the bed he covered her with the duvet and pressed his lips to her forehead. 'Love you' he whispered softly. A few minutes later he left the house.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

When Lauren woke up she frowned wondering how she'd ended up in bed. She rubbed her face and then slowly got out of bed, heading for the bathroom. Once she had finished she walked through to the kitchen to get a drink, opening the fridge she found a plate of sandwiches with one of her post-its on from the office, it read "Eat me". She recognised Joey's writing and smiled, pulling the plate out of the fridge. There were more sandwiches here than she could possibly eat so she decided to go and share them with Joey. She grabbed some orange juice from the fridge and put everything in a brown paper bag, grabbing her phone, keys and coat as she left the flat. She headed straight towards the club and once inside walked through to Joey's office. She saw him frowning over some paperwork. She tapped lightly on the door and he looked up. A smile crossing his face as he saw her.

'Hey' he said pushing his papers to one side 'what are you doing here?' he asked her as she walked into the room.

'I thought I'd have lunch with my husband' she replied, holding up the bag she'd brought with her.

'That sounds great' he said, he stood up 'so what are we having for lunch?' he asked her as he walked to the door, closing it and then locking it so they weren't disturbed. He turned round and found Lauren was standing closer to him than she had been. She reached up and kissed him softly, her hands sliding up his chest, her wrists crossing behind his head. Joey put his hands on her waist, kissing her back.

'I'm sorry about this morning…' she started to say.

'No, don't apologise. I'm the one who went out last night and got pissed. I'm really sorry, I lost track of time and someone brought shots and…'

'Joe, you can go out and have a good time, I'm the alcoholic in the family, not you' she told him softly. 'You can go out and have drinks, get drunk…I don't want to stop you going out with your mates and enjoying yourself…'

'I honestly didn't intend to drink as much as I did or to get so drunk and I certainly didn't mean to pee in the wardrobe'

Lauren smiled 'I know…I overreacted this morning' she told him 'and that's why I need to apologise' she said softly 'I don't want you to feel as though you have to say home with me all the time'

'I like staying in with you' he told her softly cupping her face in his hands. 'I love spending time with you, with Evie. I don't want to go out every night…I didn't want to go out last night but you insisted I did. I don't need to spend time away from you. I love you. I love being with you. I would be happy if we were the last two people left on earth. I wouldn't care that there was no one else to talk to. All I need is you. All I want is you' he told her. 'Well…you, Evie and this little one' he said placing his hands on her belly 'and maybe a few more...' he added with a smile.

'How many more?' Lauren asked him softly.

'Two or three' Joey replied seriously.

'I like the sound of that' she replied, reaching up to kiss him again. She deepened the kiss and gave a soft moan, her arms wrapping tighter around him. When they broke the kiss Lauren was breathing heavily 'How about we take lunch home?' she asked him with a smile.

Joey nodded his head 'that's exactly what I was thinking, babe' he told her. He unlocked the door as Lauren grabbed the food and drinks she'd brought. 'James, I'm taking the rest of the afternoon off' Joey called over his shoulder as he led his wife up the stairs.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

'So, tell me about the Elf again, how does it work?' Lauren asked Joey as they walked away from the club.

He grinned at her 'He's called Elvis' he told her with a grin.

'Elvis?' she frowned at Joey.

'Yep, Elvis the Elf' he nodded his head.

'That doesn't sound very Elf like' Lauren told him with a frown 'What about Snowflake or Tinsel? Or Mr Jingles?'

'Nope, the Elf is named Elvis' he told her determinedly.

'Okay…so what exactly does the Elf do?' Lauren asked him with interest.

They walked into the flat as Joey continued to explain, 'Well, _Elvis_ has been sent here by Santa to keep an eye on little boys and girls and make sure their name stays on the nice list. But the Elf gets up to mischief himself, like making a mess in the kitchen, just doing naughty things in general. When he gets caught doing naughty things his name gets put on this list for Santa' he said as they walked through to their bedroom and he reached into his bedside table and pulled out a piece of paper. It had naughty and nice written on it. 'And if he does something nice his name goes on the nice column. Then on Christmas Eve you count how many times he's appeared on the naughty list and the nice list and Santa will look at the list when he comes to deliver presents. You use it for Evie too. So her name gets added to the list.'

Lauren nodded her head 'Oh I see' she said with a smile 'So do we start tonight?' she asked him

'Yep' he nodded his head 'We'll need to explain to Eve what Elvis is and then tell her she has to watch him and make sure he isn't naughty and she will be the one to discover what he's done in the morning' Joey told her 'I thought we could take it in turns' he said.

Lauren smiled 'that actually sounds like a great idea…imagine the fun we can have' she said, her smile turning slightly evil.

'Oh I am, babe. I am' Joey grinned as he thought about another two Elves he had hidden in his bedside table. 'Talking about fun…' he said as he put the paper back on his bedside table. Lauren smiled as Joey leant over and kissed her.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey helped Lauren straddle his lap and he guided his length inside her. This was one of the better sides of Lauren's pregnancy hormones. Her sex drive had increased in the last couple of weeks. She literally could not get enough of him. Not that he was complaining in the least. He loved this part. She moaned as he entered her and she slowly began to raise herself up and down, creating the much needed friction for them both. Joey groaned, as she added a little rotation of her hips. His hands moved to her hips, his fingertips digging in as she rode him. She flung her head back so her hair was flowing down her back. Joey's fingers were itching to touch her breasts but these were now a no go area for him. This part of pregnancy he didn't like so much. Her breasts were too sore for him to touch. So he had to settle for watching them jiggle about in front of him instead. He moved one of his hands to her clit and started to rub it gently, in time with her movements.

'JOE! JOE!' She screamed a few moments later as she erupted around him. Pulling his own intense orgasm from him. 'JOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!'

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Later the two of them were dozing in each other's arms when Lauren stirred and frowned.

'Do you hear the door?' Lauren said sleepily. Both of them listened and they heard a sharp rapping noise. 'What time is it?' she asked him.

'Six' Joey replied.

'Shit! We forgot to pick up Evie!' Lauren exclaimed. 'It has to be dad at the door.'

'I'll go' Joey said flipping back the covers, he climbed out of bed and pulled on his robe and hurried to the front door. Sure enough Max and his daughter stood there. 'Dad, we are so sorry' Joey told him apologetically.

'Hi Dada!' Eve held her arms out towards him.

'Yeah, you look it' Max smiled at him 'I don't need any guesses to know what you two have been up to' he said looking at Joey's state of undress.

'We…we lost track of time. Did you have a good time with Pops?' Joey asked Eve.

'Yep. We played games' she nodded her head. 'Where's mama?'

'Mama's in bed' Joey told her.

Eve frowned 'mama tired?' she asked her daddy.

'Mummy's here' Lauren said as she came into the room. 'Were you a good girl for Pops?' she asked her daughter.

'Yep' Eve nodded her head. Lauren looked at her dad for confirmation.

'She is always a perfect little angel' he told her with a smile 'she only had one accident today'

'Only one? That's pretty good. Who's a big girl, hey?' Joey said jiggling her in his arms. Eve beamed at him, pleased with the praise from her daddy.

'Thanks for taking care of her today, dad' Lauren smiled at him.

'Anytime, you know that. Beats working!' he told them both with a grin. 'Well I'd better go. I'm meeting Alfie at the Vic for a drink.'

'Okay, thanks and sorry again' Joey said as Max walked down the stairs.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

After they'd fed Eve and changed her for bed, telling her she would have a bath tomorrow night, Joey and Lauren had sat her down on the sofa.

'Evie, this is Elvis the Elf' Joey told her 'Santa and Rudolph has sent him from the North Pole to make sure that you are a good girl between now and Christmas' he told her. Eve listened to him with her big brown eyes wide open. 'Elvis, this is our daughter, Evie Branning' he introduced them both.

'Hi Evis' Eve said softly, in awe that Santa and Rudy had sent an Elf to her. Both Lauren and Joey smiled at Eve's pronunciation of Elvis.

'Santa and Rudolph sent a letter with him, do you want me to read it to you?'

'Pease dada' Eve nodded, her eyes not leaving Elvis.

' _ **Dear Evie Branning. This is Elvis one of my North Pole Elves. I have sent him to you to make sure you keep being a very good girl for your mummy and daddy before its time for me and Rudolph to visit you again on Christmas Eve.**_

 _ **There's something you need to know about Elvis. Sometimes he is a nice Elf and other times he is a naughty Elf. I want you to tell mummy and daddy when he is naughty and when he is nice so I have left you some paper and some stickers to keep a record. Mummy and daddy can help you with the stickers if you have trouble doing it on your own. Would you do that for me Evie?'**_ Joey stopped reading and he looked up at Eve, waiting for her to answer.

'Yes, Santy. Evie will' she nodded her head. Joey smiled, licking his lips.

' _ **Thank you Evie, I knew I could count on you. Rudolph told me what a lovely little girl you are. He can see you when you have your snow globe out. Do you remember I gave you that last year when you came to see me?'**_

Eve nodded her head again 'Yes. I member' she whispered. 

' _ **Good, I'm glad you remember. I hope you remember to put the globe out this year. Rudolph has missed you and he's missed your mummy's and daddy's stories. Your daddy and mummy are very good at telling you bedtime stories. Oh, there's another thing. Elvis has a set of stickers too and he will mark down when you are a good girl or a bad girl. Well I've got to go now. I have to go check on the reindeer and make sure the rest of my elves are behaving themselves.**_

 _ **Take good care of Elvis for me Evie.**_

 _ **Lots of Love Santa and Rudolph.**_

 _ **PS. Thank you very much for the mince pies and carrots you left for us last year. That was very nice of you and they were yummy'**_

Eve's eyes widened in surprise as she heard the last line of the letter. 'Santy and Rudy gived Evie nice letter, dada' she said and a huge smile spread across her face.

'Yes, they did' Joey nodded his head 'You must be a very special little girl for Santa and Rudolph to do that. And asking you to look after Elvis for him'

Eve looked at Elvis, tilting her head to one side. 'I finks Evis is naughty' she whispered.

'Do you?' Lauren asked her, biting back a smile 'what makes you think that, baby?'

She shrugged her little shoulders 'just do' she replied.

'Well we'll have to wait and see won't we?' Joey said to her. 'Okay this is where Elvis's chart goes' he said and he walked to the wall near the window and stuck it up with some Blu-tack at Eve's level so she could reach it. 'And Elvis sits right here' he said and he propped him up on the windowsill. 'So all we have to do in the morning is see if Elvis has sat here all night like a good little elf or if he has moved and been naughty or nice' Joey told her.

'Okay dada' Eve nodded her head.

'Good girl' Joey smiled at her. 'So shall daddy or mummy put you to bed tonight and read you a story?' he asked her.

'Mmmm…Mama I fink' she told Joey.

'Mummy it is' he said and he picked her up off the sofa and gave her a hug and a kiss. 'Night night baby girl' he whispered as Lauren stood up. He handed his daughter to his wife.

'Nunight dada' Eve replied, waving at him over her shoulder.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

'I can't wait to see Eve's face when she sees what Elvis has been up to tonight' he told her 'yours too for that matter' he grinned in the darkness as he made his way to the bed, climbing under the covers and moving up behind his wife.

'Has he been naughty or nice?' she asked him as he wrapped his arms around her.

'You'll have to wait and see' he replied. 'Happy first day of Christmas, Baby' Joey whispered into Lauren's ear. 'Happy first day of Christmas, Squiggle' he murmured as his hand caressed her bump. He was rewarded with a sharp kick.

'Squiggle said happy first day of Christmas, daddy' Lauren smiled as her hand covered his and she linked her fingers through his.

'Love you' Joey said pressing a kiss to her naked shoulder.

'Love you too, Joe' Lauren murmured, closing her eyes.

 **AN: Leave us a review. Back tomorrow with a chapter from 74Crazychick…Any guesses as to the next film title?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Welcome back to the story… here is my first chapter (74CrazyChick)… I really hope you like it.**

 **Chapter 2: Deck the Halls**

 **Sunday 15** **th** **December 2019.**

Lauren was lying in bed the next morning, having a lie in after Joey had left. He'd had a smirk on his face when he'd kissed her before leaving and there was a little part of Lauren that was wondering just what he was up to. She hadn't had the energy to think about it though, closing her eyes and falling asleep before he'd even left the flat. She was awake now though and she smiled as she heard the sound of small footsteps padding on the carpet and then her bedroom door was pushed open and there was Eve. "Morning, Evie…" Lauren said softly.

Eve beamed at her and ran full pelt at the bed, launching herself off the floor and (fortunately) landing on the bed beside her. "Hewwo mama…" she said as she lay on the bed beside her mummy and shuffling forward into her. "Is it Kissmas yet?" she whispered, much like she had done ever since the start of December.

"Are we on the last day of your advent calendar yet?" Lauren asked, also not for the first time this month.

"No, mama…" Eve whispered, shaking her head from side to side as she bit her lip.

"Then, I don't think it's Christmas yet, is it…?"

Eve pouted at her, her bottom lip sticking out adorably, "I guess…" she murmured. She hugged Mister Pink, who was pretty much always in her arms, tighter against her chest. "Does that mean I've got another daw in my cander to open?" she suddenly said brightly.

"I guess it does, baby…" Lauren said with a smile. "First though… do you have a cuddle for mummy?"

"Yes, mama…" Eve lifted her arms, Mister Pink dropping onto the mattress and she wound her little arms around her mummy's neck. She hugged her tightly. She pulled away quickly, "Rere's dada?" she asked, her pout back.

"Daddy's gone out for the morning… with Auntie Alice…"

"Alal…" Eve beamed.

"Yes, baby…" Lauren said. "Why don't us girls get up…? We've got lots to do today…"

"Are we baking cake?" Eve asked as she sat up and turned to slide off the edge of the bed.

Lauren smiled, still surprised by her daughter's fascination with them. "No, Evie… we'll do that later this week… I promise…" she said. Eve stood about a foot away from the bed and faced towards her, Mister Pink hanging by the arm from her hand. She watched as Lauren moved slowly to sit up and then swung her legs over the side of the bed. Eve stuck her empty hand out towards her mummy and Lauren took it, smiling at her, "Thanks Evie…" she said, pushing herself slowly to her feet. Once she was standing they walked out of the bedroom and both stopped, staring at the lounge. "Looks like daddy's been busy, Evie…" Lauren whispered.

"Dada… good boy…" Eve giggled.

"Yes, babe… he is…"

"Tee… emty, mama…" Eve whispered, staring at the Christmas tree that stood in the corner of the lounge. Joey had clearly put the tree up before he'd left an hour or so ago.

"We'll sort it out soon, baby girl…" Lauren promised her. "Shall we do your advent calendar?" she asked.

Eve pulled her hand from her mummy's and clasped them together, looking up at her mummy, "Pease, mama…" she begged.

"Do you remember what day we opened yesterday?" Lauren asked.

"Um…" Eve frowned, trying to remember. She looked down at Mister Pink, "I's not fink you's wight…" she told him. She looked up at her mummy, "Miter Pink finks it was the furst, mama… he's wong though, wight?"

"Yes he is, Evie…" Lauren said softly. "What do you think it was?"

"Was it nummer trelv?" she asked.

"No, Evie… but you weren't far off… shall we go and look?" she asked, holding her hand out towards her daughter. They walked over to the wooden rocking horse that Joey and Lauren had bought for their daughter. Each side of the rocking horse had twelve drawers in it and they had filled each drawer with treats and toys. The rocking horse was on the side in the lounge and Eve knelt in front of the cupboard it was standing on. Lauren sat on the armchair next to her, "Can you count the numbers, Evie?" Lauren asked.

Eve nodded, a hint of pride on her face. She pointed at each drawer, slowly counting the drawers that were open. "Run… Doo… Tee… Four…" She glanced at her mummy, biting her lip.

"Well done, Evie… keep going…" Lauren encouraged her.

"Mama elp?" Eve whispered.

"Okay, baby… you say the numbers with me, okay…" Lauren said. Eve nodded her head, the ringlets flying around her head with each move she made. "Five…"

"Ive…" Eve echoed.

"Six." Lauren said.

"Ix…" Eve copied.

"Seven."

"Sen…" She whispered.

They continued until they reached the last open drawer, "Fourden, mama…" she said.

"That's right, darling… It was the fourteenth yesterday… which means we have to open drawer number fifteen today…"

"Ifden…" Eve whispered, trying out the word as best she could.

"Can you open the drawer?"

"Mama elp?" Eve asked softly, knowing she had to be careful with her calendar and not wanting to break it.

Eve got to her feet and they both reached forward to the next drawer in the advent calendar. They opened it, "What's inside?" Lauren whispered.

Eve stood on her tiptoes and peered inside the drawer. "Look mama…" she gasped, her hand pulling the gift out of the drawer. She held her hand out to her mummy. It was a small chocolate teddy bear, one of the one's that was covered in gold foil and a little bell around it's neck. Eve's mummy and daddy had struggled to find one that was small enough to fit in the drawer but had finally found one.

"Wow, Evie… that's great… I think we should wait until you've had your breakfast before we eat that though, okay?"

"'Kay, mama…" Eve sighed, looking slightly disappointed.

"Was there anything else in the drawer?" Lauren asked.

Eve turned back to her advent calendar quickly, smiling when she saw something else inside the drawer. She pulled out the object and waved it in the air. "WUDY!" she cried out.

"Shall we go and stick him on your wall?" Lauren asked.

"Pease, mama…" They both stood up and Eve ran ahead to her bedroom while Lauren walked slowly behind her. Eve was bouncing on her bed by the time Lauren reached her room.

"Careful, darling…" she said and the bounces became slightly less vigorous. "Where's your poster, Evie?" she asked.

Eve pointed to the front of her wardrobe, "Dere, mama…" she said. Eve leapt off her bed, almost giving her mummy a heart attack in the process.

"Evie… careful…" she said again. They reached the front of her wardrobe and blu-tacked to the front of it was a poster with a snowscape on it. "Where do you want to put this sticker?" Lauren asked. Eve pondered her question for a minute and then pointed to a clear corner of the poster. She passed the new sticker to her mummy and Lauren carefully peeled the back off it. She put the sticker on the poster where Eve had pointed. "You press it down, Evie…" Lauren said. Eve's tiny hand squished the sticker of Rudolph onto the paper and then she pulled her hands away and smiled as she looked at the poster, seeing several Rudolph stickers on it.

"So pity, mama…" she whispered. "Luv Wudy…" she added softly.

"I know you do, sweetheart." Lauren said. "Let's go and get breakfast now, shall we?"

Eve nodded her head and the two of them walked out of the room. They walked through to the kitchen and Lauren went to the fridge, opening it and getting out things for them to eat, "Mama… what's dis?" Eve said softly a couple of minutes later. Lauren turned to face her and saw her holding an envelope in her hands.

"Where did you get that, Evie?" she asked as she walked over to where she stood. She straightened up, her hands behind her back, hiding the letter from her mummy's view. Her bottom lip started to wobble, thinking she might be in trouble. Lauren walked over to her, kneeling in front of her and wiping away a tear on her cheek that fell slowly, "It's okay, Evie… mummy's not cross… I just want to know where the letter was from…"

"I icked it up…" Eve whispered.

"From the floor?" Lauren asked and Eve nodded. "Where abouts sweetheart?" Eve pointed to a spot beneath one of the dining room chairs. "Well, I guess it fell off the table… Can mummy have it?" she asked. Eve pulled her hand from behind her back and held it out towards her mummy. "Thank you, Evie…" Lauren said, leaning forward and kissing her forehead softly. She smiled when she saw the front of the envelope… _'Evie's mummy'_ it said. She opened the envelope and pulled out the sheet of paper inside.

"Weed it, mama… weed it…" Evie begged her and Lauren smiled.

She got to her feet, walking over to the dining room table and sitting on a chair. Eve toddled along behind her and Lauren lifted her onto her lap. She cleared her throat and started to read the letter out loud.

" _ **Dear Evie Branning's mummy. In addition to Elvis the Elf, I've also sent over two Elves who are in need of your care. I do hope this is okay. I think your beautiful daughter might like to see how these elves are for you and this will help her be able to look after Elvis in the same way."**_

"Is that me, mama?" Eve whispered.

"I believe it is, sweetheart…"

"Santy finks I's bootiful?" Eve murmured, a smile growing on her face.

Lauren smiled and continued to read the letter to her, _**"Your Elves are a couple and they're called Mr Jingles and Miss Tinsel… they are generally very good little Elves, but have been known to get each other in trouble if not supervised properly. If you could keep a record of any good or bad behaviour, just like Evie has to with Elvis, I'd be very grateful as it'll highlight to me if they require any further training before I unleash them on children like your daughter."**_ Lauren paused, glancing at her daughter and seeing the enraptured expression on her face as she hung on every word. " _ **Along with this letter I gave Mr Jingle and Miss Tinsel a task for them to do, so they wouldn't cause too much of an inconvenience to you and your family…"**_

"What's dat, mama?" Eve asked.

"An inconvenience?" Lauren asked her and Eve nodded, "It's being trouble… getting in the way…"

"Oh…"

Lauren looked at the letter again, _**"As a gesture of goodwill Mr Jingle and Miss Tinsel have put up the Christmas tree in your lounge. Once Evie's daddy gets home from work, you'll be able to decorate said tree and then little Evie will be able to gaze in wonder at the tree and she'll know that Christmas is truly here."**_

"Can we get my gobe out, mama?" Eve asked. "I can see Wudy and he see me…"

"We will get the decorations out, Evie… once we've had breakfast and have washed and dressed…"

"Yay…"

"There's a little bit more of the letter, baby girl," Lauren said, kissing the top of Eve's head, _**"Rudolph and I are looking forward to seeing your family's Christmas together and we both hope you have a peaceful and relaxing festive season. I hope my Elves behave and don't cause too much trouble. Lots of love Santa and Rudolph."**_

"I luv Santy and Wudy, mama…" Eve whispered.

"That's a really good thing, Eve… and I'm sure Santa and Rudolph love you just as much…"

"Can I have beckfast now?"

"Of course you can… Get down off my lap and I'll get some cereal for you…"

"Fankoo mama… luvoo …"

"I love you too, sweetheart…" she said.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

After they'd eaten their breakfast Lauren and Eve made their way to the bathroom and Eve had a bath while her mummy sat on the closed toilet, waiting for her to be done. They then went into Eve's bedroom and Eve sat, wrapped in her towel on the end of her bed while her mummy got out some clothes. She prodded Olaf's face with her finger as he looked up at her from the duvet on her bed and she smiled at him, "Hi Laf!" she said.

Lauren walked over with the clothes, "Off the bed, Evie…" Lauren said as she sat on the bed. Eve slid off the bed, leaving the towel behind her. Lauren held out a pair of knickers (pull up pants) and Eve stepped into them, her hand clutching her mummy's arm for balance. Lauren pulled them up the little girl's legs and then she grabbed the pair of pink leggings that were Eve's favourites. Once they were on, her Olaf T-shirt went over her head. She was nearly dressed now and her look was finished once Lauren put a pink cardigan on her. Lauren picked up the hairbrush and she pulled it gently through Eve's hair. Eve moaned softly as the brush caught on a knot. "Sorry, baby girl." Lauren whispered. "Do you remember where your hairbands are?" she asked a minute or so later.

"Yes, mama… dey's in my jewey box…"

"Go and get one of them…" Eve ran across the room and carefully opened the pink jewellery box she had got for her birthday from her Granny Sarah. Inside were the two hairbands her mummy had got the other day and she grabbed the Olaf one. She ran back to where her mummy was sitting and passed it to her. Carefully her mummy pushed the hairband into her hair, pushing it back from her face. "There's my pretty girl…"

"Evie pity?" she asked.

"Always…" Lauren told her.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

The two of them walked into the lounge and Eve looked at the windowsill. Lauren heard Eve suck in her breath and she turned to look at her 'what's the matter sweetheart?' she asked her.

Eve's eyes were wide as she stared at the windowsill 'Gone' Eve whispered. 'Evis gone' Lauren turned to look and she saw Eve was telling the truth, Lauren frowned. 'Rere's Evis gone, mama?' Eve asked.

'I don't know' Lauren said and she looked around the room searching for the elf. 'I can't see him anywhere' she said, she looked at the sofa and smiled, spotting the elf 'can you?' she asked her daughter.

'Uh-uh' Eve shook her head making her ringlets bounce around, Lauren watched as Eve slowly looked around the room, she grinned when Eve turned to the sofa and her little hand flew up to cover her mouth. 'Dere he is, mama' she whispered and she ran over to the sofa. 'Oh mama look!'

'What's he done?' Lauren asked her.

'He's eated dada's cakes' Eve said 'and he's been sick' Lauren walked over to the sofa and she frowned as she saw the "sick" Eve was talking about. 'It's parkly' Eve said in wonder, reaching out to touch it.

'Don't touch it!' Lauren exclaimed, wondering what Joey had made it with. 'Let's get something to clean it up with, shall we?'

'Evis naughty' Eve said unable to pry her eyes away from the sparkling vomit.

'Elvis is very naughty' Lauren said to her. 'You stay here and don't touch anything whilst mummy goes to find something to clean this mess up with' she told Eve.

Fifteen minutes later and the mess was cleaned up as best as Lauren could. There was a small stain on the sofa that Lauren couldn't get off as well as some remaining stubborn bits of glitter. She would be having a few words with her husband later about that…once Evie was in bed. Elvis was seated back on the windowsill although he looked a tad uncomfortable but Eve told Lauren that was because his bottom hurt because Mister Pink had spanked him for being bad. Lauren smiled at the serious look on Eve's face when she told Elvis off. Lauren couldn't wait to tell Joey what had happened and she knew Eve couldn't either.

*JL*JL*JL*JL*

Lauren pushed the box of decorations across the room with her foot, shoving it towards the tree. Eve was behind her, carrying a carrier bag of tinsel and the fairy for the top of the tree carefully. "Here, mama?" Eve asked as she placed her things on the sofa.

"Good girl." Lauren said. "Why don't we make a start on the decorations, Evie…?"

"Santy said that dada would elp, mama…"

"Daddy won't mind if we start without him."

"Dada be koss…" Eve said, staring up at her mummy, her eyes wide.

"We're not going to do much, Evie… just a few little bits… starting it off…" Lauren turned to the box she'd brought into the room and carefully opened the flaps of the box. Eve took a couple of steps closer to her, peeking into the box tentatively. Her face lit up and she walked around the box and leant against her mummy. She leant forward and looked inside it.

"Look, mama…" she said suddenly, pointing into the box.

"What Evie?" Lauren said, looking down at where her daughter was gesturing.

"WUDY!" Eve shouted in glee as she saw the box that she'd been given by Santa the year before.

"Oh yes, baby girl…" she said, smiling as she saw Eve bouncing up and down in excitement. She reached down for the box and lifted it carefully in her hands. Eve started to grab at the box so Lauren spoke quickly, "Careful, sweetheart… we don't want to break him, do we?"

"No, mama…" Eve said, biting her bottom lip.

Lauren sat on the sofa and Eve leant her hands on her mummy's knees, hopping from one foot to the other as Lauren undid the box and then lifted the snow globe in both her hands. Eve gasped as her mummy shook the globe and the snow swirled around Rudolph and Santa. "It's pretty, isn't it?" Lauren whispered.

"Yes, mama…" Eve watched it, completely captivated, just like she'd been a year before, her nose pressed up against the glass. Lauren stared at her daughter, rather than the globe, loving how something so simple could capture her so much. The snow finally settled and Eve looked up at her mummy, "Gain, mama…" she asked. "Pease…" she added quickly and Lauren smiled and nodded her head. Eve stood up and Lauren lifted the snow globe again. "Evie elp…" she said, her hands covering her mummy's and they both shook the globe.

"Last time, Evie… before we do the rest of the decorations…"

"'Kay mama…" she replied. Lauren placed the snow globe back on her lap and again Eve's eyes locked on it, stepping closer so she could see press her nose against it again.

"You don't have to stand so close, sweetheart…" Lauren told her gently.

"Wudy can see me…" she said.

"He will see you even if you stand properly, Evie…"

"You fink so?" Eve asked.

"I do…" Eve thought about it for a few seconds and then stood up, folding her arms across her chest and pouting slightly as she looked down at the snow globe. "It's all done now, baby girl… Let's put it on the side, shall we?"

"By the welly?" Eve asked.

"I thought we could put it next to your advent calendar… what do you think?"

"Yes, mama… by my cander…" she said, clapping her hands together.

Lauren got to her feet and took Eve's hand, both of them walking over to Eve's advent calendar and the globe was placed carefully on the side. "There you go… pride of place… Rudolph and Santa will be able to see everything in the room now…"

"I's gad, mama…"

"Shall we get out the decorations of the box?" Lauren asked.

"Yes, mama… I's cited…"

"What about, baby girl?"

"Kissmass… Wudy and Santy coming to see me gain…" Eve tilted her head back to look up at her mummy and bit her lip softly.

"What is it, Evie?" Lauren asked her, putting down the decorations she was holding and sitting on the sofa, her fingers reaching for Eve's face and brushing her cheek tenderly.

"I's cited bout the baby…" Eve whispered.

"You are?" Lauren said and Eve nodded her head quickly. "Shall I tell you a secret, Evie?" Lauren asked.

"Pease…"

"So am I…" Lauren told her, "and so is daddy…"

"He is?"

"Of course he is…" Lauren told her.

Eve looked a little worried, "Mama…" she murmured.

"Yes, darling…"

"You and dada will still luv me ren baby's here…?" she asked quietly.

Lauren quickly lifted Eve off the floor and pulled her onto her lap, hugging her as tightly as she could in her current state, "Daddy and I will always love you, Evie…" she told her, "and we will always love your brother or sister…"

"You's sure?"

"Absolutely, Evie… You're my baby girl and you always will be…" Lauren said.

Eve didn't say anymore for some time and they sat in silence. "Luvoo mama…" Eve whispered.

"Love you too, Evie…"

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren and Eve were hanging some decorations on the tree when the front door opened. Joey walked into the room, his mouth dropping open at what he saw, "What the fu…" he glanced at Eve, "dge…?" he said.

"We's decating the tee, dada?" Eve said, grinning up at him with pride.

"So I see…" He said, staring at his wife. "Where's Mister Pink, Evie?" he asked as he stared at Lauren. She could see the anger building in his eyes and she turned to the tree, hanging a couple more baubles on the branches.

"He's in my room, dada… shall I get him?"

"Yeah, baby girl…" Joey said. Eve ran off and they heard the thud as she flung open her bedroom door.

"You were supposed to be waiting until I got home, babe…" he told her.

"We haven't done much… just put a few baubles on the tree and got them out of the box and sorted through them." Lauren told him.

"And the box just magically appeared in the lounge, did it?" he accused her.

"I pushed it in here with my foot… ask Evie if you don't believe me…" she turned and looked at her husband and saw him studying her face intently. "I'm pregnant, Joe… not an invalid…"

"You're more than eight months pregnant, babe… and I just worry you'll do something to hurt yourself… or Squiggle…"

"You think I would hurt our child?" Lauren said, hurt written across her face.

"Not intentionally…" he said, walking over to stand in front of her, "but I know you… I know you forget your limits sometimes…" he said, brushing his fingers through her hair and tucking it behind her ear. "I worry about you… about all three of you…" he told her softly. He wound his arms around Lauren's body and pulled her against him, kissing the top of her head, "I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to any of you…" he murmured.

"I know…" Lauren murmured, "I promise I'll never do anything to hurt any of us…" she whispered.

"Good…"

"EVIE HUGS TOO!" They both turned their heads and saw Eve standing near the doorway to her room. Joey smiled at her and then she was running, heading towards them both. Joey swept her up into his arms and she hugged him tightly, kissing him sloppily on the cheek. She pulled away from him and twisted so she could see her mummy. "Mama…" she said, leaning forwards and hugging her too. Lauren took Eve from Joey, hugging the tiny girl in her arms. Joey hugged them both, kissing them both tenderly. "Luvoo dada… luvoo mama…" Eve whispered.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

An hour later and after some assistance from Joey, the tree was fully decorated. Lauren and Eve were finishing the room with the last few ornaments that were placed around the room, including some Santa models that Lauren had bought a month or so ago. They were stood on the table in the middle of the lounge, standing in a little row. Joey was tidying away the decoration box, stowing it back in the spare room. He then walked back into the lounge, smiling when he saw Eve playing with the Santa's on the table.

She looked up and smiled at him, "Dada!" she said. She jumped to her feet again and ran over to him, grabbing his hand and pulling him across the room with her. "Look, dada… Wudy and Santy are here… watching us… just like they rote in the letter…"

"So they are." Joey said, crouching beside her as she stared at the snow globe. He lifted it and shook it for her, placing it back on the side. Her eyes were riveted to the globe as the snow fell once more and he leant towards her and kissed her temple gently. "Love you, baby girl…" he whispered.

Eve glanced at him, "Luvoo dada…" she said, turning her eyes back to the globe.

"I'll just go and see how mummy's doing…" he told her, his fingers brushing through her hair and tucking a few strands that had fallen loose of the hairband behind her ear. He got to his feet again and walked through to the kitchen, finding his wife sorting out some tea for the three of them. "I could've done that, you know… You're supposed to be taking it easy…"

"It's just a little tea, Joe… I'm not exactly straining myself…" she replied.

"I know… I just want you to be okay…"

"I will be." Lauren told him, looking at him, "I promise…"

He glanced at the fridge and saw the sheet of paper that they'd put on the front of it last night. "Evie…" he called through to the lounge and a moment later his daughter appeared in the doorway. "We should put on the chart how good you and Elvis have been today, don't you think?"

Eve nodded her head, "Yes, dada…" she said, walking over to him.

Joey crouched on the floor and wrapped his arms around Eve, his little girl resting her head on his chest. "Let's start with Elvis, shall we?" Joey said. "Has he been good today?"

Eve thought about it for a few minutes then shook her head. "No dada…" she whispered, looking a little worried.

"He hasn't…? What has he done that was naughty?" Joey asked.

Eve looked down at the floor and she was clutching her leggings at the thighs in her hands. She looked up even though her head was lowered as she twisted from side to side. "I don't want you to be koss, dada…" she whispered.

"I won't be cross with you, Evie… you're my baby girl... I could never be cross with you…" he told her softly.

She stared into his eyes, just like her mummy did when she was checking to see if he was telling her the truth. "Evis was a bad boy… he was singing songs this morning… He woked me up…" she told him, Lauren smiled and shook her head.

'What else did Elvis do, sweetie?' Lauren said. Eve looked at her and she thought for a little while and then her eyes widened.

'Evis was bad dada, he eated dada's cakes and he was sick all on da sofa' she told him 'it was parkly but Evie dint touch it' she shook her head.

'He did?' Joey looked surprised

'Uh-huh, mama ceaned it up and Miter Pink panked Evis and mama put him back on the rindow'

"Well that sounds like he deserves a black star on his chart, doesn't he?" Joey said and Eve nodded her head. Joey turned to his wife, "Do you know where the stars are, babe?" he asked her, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"I'll get them… they're over here…" she said. She walked past the pair of them, her hand brushing through Joey's hair as she passed him. She came back a few seconds later and gave the sheet of stars to her husband.

Joey grabbed Lauren's hand and kissed the back of it softly as he squeezed it. He looked back at Eve and smiled at her reassuringly. "So Elvis is getting a black star today…" he told her, "Can you peel one off this sheet…?" Eve nodded and carefully pulled one of the black stars from the paper.

"Dada elp?" she asked hesitantly.

"Of course I can…" he told her. They moved closer to the fridge, "Stick it here, baby girl." He breathed in her ear and she did as he'd said. "Okay, so that's Elvis done… now I guess we need to speak to mummy and see how you behaved today…"

"I's a good girl, dada…"

"Shall we see if mummy agrees?" he asked. Eve's bottom lip quivered slightly and she looked at her mummy, her eyes turning to those of little puppy dogs as she silently pleaded for her mummy to say she'd been a good girl.

"Stop teasing her, Joe… Eve has been a very good girl today. She counted her numbers along with me. She helped me with the decorations. And she stuck her Rudolph sticker on her poster…"

"Well that sounds to me like she deserves to have a gold star…" Joey said, smiling at his daughter as her face lit up, "Wouldn't you agree, mummy?" he asked.

"I do, daddy…" Lauren said.

"Should mummy put the gold star on the sheet under your name, Evie?"

"Pease mama…" Eve said.

Lauren smiled and she stood behind Joey, her hand on his shoulder as she leant over him and pulled a sticker off the sheet, "Where would you like me to stick this, Evie?" she asked.

Eve thought about it for a moment and then she pointed to the sheet, just under where her name was at the top of the sheet. "Dere, mama…" Lauren put the gold star where she was pointed and pressed it onto the sheet firmly.

"Well done, baby girl!" Lauren said, bending down slightly and dotting kisses across her face. Eve giggled and held her arms up, wanting to hug her mummy.

"Hang on a second, baby girl…" Joey said as he clambered to his feet before Lauren could lift their daughter. He picked Eve up and balanced her on his arm, turning to face his wife so Eve could then hug her mummy like she wanted to.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey and Lauren were sitting on the sofa later that evening. Eve was in bed, after having watched Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer… twice. Lauren was lying on top of Joey, at his insistence and he was running his fingers through her hair as they watched a repeat of a show on the TV. Lauren reached for the control and she turned off the TV, the room falling silent. "Everything alright, babe?" Joey asked.

"I was just thinking about something Eve asked me earlier…" she said.

"What did she say?"

"She was worried that we wouldn't love her once Squiggle is here… She looked so worried, Joe… She asked me if we would still love her…" She fell silent for a few seconds and she could hear that Joey's heart was racing beneath her ear, "Of course I told her we would always love her… she will always be our little girl…"

"Do you think she believed you?" he asked her softly and Lauren could hear that he was upset by what she'd just told him.

"I think so… Maybe we should spend the next few days reassuring her… and we need to make sure after Squiggle is born that we remember to spend time with her and remind her how much we love her."

"Good idea, babe…" he told her.

The room was silent again and neither of them spoke for quite a while. Lauren tilted back her head and she kissed his neck gently, "I love you, Joe…"

"Love you too, Lauren… I'm not sure I tell you often enough how much you mean to me… and how grateful I am that you took that risk and came to mum's house after I left the square… When I think about what my life might've been like if you hadn't…" He lifted his hand, the back of one finger brushing her cheek. He pushed some hair back from her face and tucked it behind her ear, his wife's face lighting up as he did so. The sound of small footsteps made them stop from doing anything more and Lauren just had time to move away from Joey before Eve launched herself onto her daddy, sobbing her heart out as she curled up on his chest. "Dada, dada, dada…" she cried.

"What's wrong, Evie?" Joey asked her in concern.

"Evis is a ig fat liar…" she said.

"What did he say?"

"I's forgotted Miter Pink, dada… Evis rill be making him ky too… dada escue him…" she sobbed, ignoring his question.

Joey hugged her against him and sat up. He passed their little girl to Lauren, her hugging Eve just as he had been. "I'll go and get Mister Pink…" he told her softly, "and then when I come back and you can tell me what Elvis has done…" He walked into Eve's bedroom and found Mister Pink lying in the bed. He picked him up and his eyes scanned round the room, seeing Elvis the Elf sitting, looking innocent in the corner of the room. He walked back into the lounge and sat beside Lauren, his arm around her shoulders. Eve was still crying and Joey held Mister Pink out towards her. "Here you go, sweetheart…" he murmured.

Eve lifted her head from her mummy's chest and looked at her pink teddy bear as her daddy held him out to her. She reached for Mister Pink and grabbed him quickly, hugging him tightly into her chest, "Dada escued you's, Miter Pink… say fankoo…" she said softly.

"What did Elvis say to you?" Joey asked her gently, beginning to regret the decision to bring home the Elves.

"He told me and Miter Pink that Santy in't weal, dada… I told him he was wong and Santy had witted to me so he's got to be weal… but he told me he's ade up…" she looked so shocked by what she was saying and then she stopped speaking and became serious. "And he said Wudy couldn't fy, dada…"

Joey reached for his daughter and he placed her between the two of them on the sofa. "I think we should send Elvis back to Santa, darling…" he said, "He's a very bad elf… and I don't want him upsetting you and Mister Pink…"

"But Santy will fink I's bad as well, dada…" she whispered, "I don't want Santy to fink I's a bad girl…"

"So what do we do, baby girl… Mummy and I don't want you getting upset by him…"

"Pease dada…" she said.

Joey stared at her, seeing the pure fear at upsetting Santa on her face and he sighed, "Okay… but Elvis and I are going to be having words tomorrow morning…" he told her.

"Would you like to come into bed with me and daddy tonight, Evie?" Lauren asked her.

"And baby…" Eve said.

"Yes, darling… all of us… would you like that?"

"Can Miter Pink come too?" she asked.

"I think we'll have room for him too…" Joey said.

"Yes pease, mama…"

 **AN: Poor Evie… tormented by that naughty Elvis the Elf… and he told her that Wudy couldn't fly! As if that is true… Do you think Joey is wishing he hadn't brought the elves home? I wonder what trouble Mr Jingle and Miss Tinsel are getting up to…? Eastendersfan444 is back tomorrow… what film do you think it might be? Don't forget to send a review….**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Okay, Eastendersfan444 here again with my next chapter. Enjoy**

 **Chapter 3: The Family Man**

 **Monday 16** **th** **December 2019**

Lauren woke up early the next morning, she glanced over at Joey seeing he was still asleep, Eve had been put back in her bed in the early hours of the morning as Lauren was worried that she'd wake her up during the night with her toing and froing from the bathroom all night, so they'd decided to put her back in her own bed.

Mr Jingle and Miss Tinsel caught her eye sitting on Joey's bedside table. She narrowed her eyes at them, wondering if they'd got up to any mischief in the night or if they were good elves. She wondered what possessed Joey in getting the elves, it wasn't something they'd talked about together, not in depth anyway, he'd mentioned that he'd ordered one for Eve but had failed to mention he was getting two others. She glanced at him again, wondering exactly what he had planned for them. Joey snorted in his sleep and rolled over in the bed before snoring softly. Lauren smiled, Eve's sleeping habits were pretty much the same as Joey's. Feeling a twinge in her bladder, she pushed back the duvet and pulled herself upright before setting her feet on the floor. She slid her feet into her slippers and pushed herself to her feet, pausing at the door to pull Joey's robe off the back and pulling it on, leaving hers hanging there. She didn't wear hers much anymore, not that it didn't fit her, it did, she just preferred Joey's. She crept out of the bedroom, making her way to the bathroom.

Lauren used the toilet and washed her hands before going into Eve's room to check on her. She was asleep, Lauren leant in the doorway watching her sleeping. She snorted in her sleep, much like Joey did earlier, rolled over and snored softly, Mister Pink's paw clutched in her little hand. Lauren smiled, placing her hand on her bump. She hoped Squiggle was going to be as good a baby as Eve was. Lauren moved out of the room and walked through the lounge and into the kitchen, she made herself a cup of tea and grabbed some cocktail sausages from the fridge and carried them into the lounge.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey stirred and opened his eyes, he was slightly confused as to where he was due to the dream he'd been having where he was sleeping in a hammock in the Amazon rain forest, with monkeys hanging from the trees above and playing with his hair. It took a few moments for his eyes to focus and he turned his head and looked at the clock on the bedside, seeing it was almost 9:30am. He rolled over in bed to see if Lauren was still there, unsurprisingly her side of the bed was empty. He slid out of bed, padded barefoot to the door reaching for his dressing gown to find it gone, he sighed and walked out of the bedroom, planning on getting Eve up. He was surprised to see her sitting on the floor of the lounge with Mister Pink and a colouring book and crayons, he could see Lauren asleep on the sofa. He smiled when Eve turned to Mister Pink and told him off for being too noisy, and he would wake mama up if he kept being noisy. Joey walked further into the room and he watched as Eve helped herself to a cocktail sausage.

'Hey missy! Those are mummy's' he said softly.

Eve looked up at her daddy with a guilty expression on her face. 'Evie's tummy hungy' she whispered as her eyes filled with tears, thinking she was about to be told off. Would this mean she would get a black star that evening? She sure hoped not. 'Evis said I's could eat some…Evis said my tummy would rake mama up…' she trailed off looking at Joey hopefully.

'Well, I think Elvis was right, I guess he's a good boy today' he smiled at her and Eve's worried look disappeared off her face. 'Well, how about daddy makes you some breakfast?' he asked her softly, scooping her up off the floor.

'Evie wet' she told him.

'Are you? Oh, well then we'll go get you dry and cleaned up and then daddy will make you some breakfast' he said to her.

'Okay dada' Evie smiled, laying her head on his shoulder as he carried her through to her bedroom. he sat her down on the bed and moved to her drawers to get some clothes for her. 'Dada?' Eve asked softly.

'Yes baby?' Joey said as he knelt down in front of her and began to take off her nightclothes.

'Evie and Mister Pink roked up and finded Mama aseep on the sofa' she told him 'we's tayed quiet so we didn't rake her'

'That's because you and Mister Pink are very good' Joey smiled at her, tapping the tip of her nose with his forefinger, she giggled.

'Evie seed you seeping too' she told him.

'You did?' Joey said as dressed her.

Eve nodded her head 'uh-huh'

'But you didn't wake daddy up?' he asked her and she shook her head.

'I tayed quiet' she said to him softly as her tummy rumbled.

'Okay, let's get some food in your little tummy shall we?' he asked, tickling her.

'Pease dada'

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren groaned softly as she woke up, she could hear hushed voices in the room and she frowned, suddenly desperate for the bathroom. She struggled to get up but found she was a bit stiff from falling asleep on the sofa and her belly was just too big, she groaned again.

'Let me help you, babe' Joey appeared in her view and he took her hands in his and pulled her up 'there you go' he said softly.

'Thank you' she murmured. She wobbled a little unsteadily on her feet, clinging to Joey until she felt less dizzy and then hurried to the bathroom. When she came out Joey looked up at her.

'Morning' he said to her with a smile.

'Why aren't you at work?' she frowned at him.

'Good job I'm not' Joey said to her as he stood up, 'You've been asleep on the sofa for the better part of the morning!' he replied.

'What time is it?'

'Half eleven' Joey replied, bending his head to kiss her 'I'll make you some tea' he told her.

Lauren nodded her head 'where's Evie?' she asked looking around the room.

'She went into her room to get something' he replied with a smile as he walked into the kitchen. Lauren glanced towards Evie's bedroom and then at Joey, she sat down on the sofa with a sigh.

When Joey returned with the tea, he sat beside her 'you tired babe?' he asked. Lauren nodded her head 'did squiggle keep you awake last night?'

'No, not really, no more than usual anyway' Lauren told him.

'Maybe you've been overdoing it the past few days?' he asked her.

'If this is about me decorating the tree….' She frowned at him.

'It's not just about you decorating the tree' Joey told her 'and I'm not having a go at you' he said 'I've been working at the club and you've been here taking care of and running around after a very energetic little two and a half-year old, and you're almost 8 months pregnant' he told her. Lauren opened her mouth to speak but Joey beat her to it 'and yes I am fully aware that you've been pregnant before babe…but…you're older now…'

'Excuse me?' Lauren blinked at him 'I'm 25 years old Joey, not 45!' she snapped at him angrily.

'Hey don't get upset'

'How the fuck do you expect me to get?' she shouted at him as she pushed herself up off the sofa, she waddled into the bedroom and slammed the bedroom door shut with such force that the pictures on the walls shook and a photograph of the two of them on their wedding day fell off the side and onto the floor, Joey heard the glass crack as it hit the ground.

'Rere's mama gone?' Evie asked as she came back into the room, Mister Pink dangling from her hand.

'She's gone to bed, baby' Joey told her 'daddy upset her' Evie scowled at him, her little feet running over the carpet towards the bedroom, she paused when she saw the picture on the floor and she picked it up. 'Evie be careful' Joey said, leaping off the sofa and rushing over to her, but he was too late, her little fingers had traced the break in the glass, a moment later she squealed loudly, dropping the picture on the floor. Lauren raced out of the bedroom, hearing her daughter scream, dropping to her knees as she saw blood dripping from Eve's fingertips.

'Honey, what happened?' she asked her, taking Eve's tiny hand in hers. Joey raced into the bathroom, getting the first aid kit and running back into the lounge. He knelt down beside Eve.

'Let daddy see' he said reaching for her hand, but Eve refused to give it to him.

'NO!' Evie screamed, turning away from Joey and burrowing against Lauren. 'DADA BAD!'

'Let's get you into the kitchen and we'll clean up your fingers and put a Miss Kitty plaster on them' Lauren said softly.

'Miss Itty?' Evie questioned as tears rolled down her cheeks.

'Yes, Miss Kitty. I'm sure daddy can find a boxful of them in the first aid kit' Lauren said looking over Eve's head at Joey. Joey got up and raced through to the bathroom, returning seconds later with the green first aid box.

'I think we should all go into the kitchen and see' Joey said to them both. Eve turned slightly, eyeing the first aid kit warily and then looked up at Joey, he reached out to brush her tears away and she turned away from him, burying her face in Lauren's hair. Lauren saw the dejected look on his face. She held onto Eve, who wrapped her uninjured arm and her legs around her, and got to her feet, with some effort on her part, but she managed it. She carried Eve into the kitchen with Joey following behind them. Lauren sat her daughter down next to the sink 'now, let's have a look at your hand shall we?'

'Urts, mama' Evie sobbed, her bottom lip wobbling.

'I know sweetie' Lauren said, Joey put the first aid box down on the side and he opened it, the clicking of the lid made Eve turn to look. She saw a box of plasters on the top and she smiled through her tears.

'Miss Itty' she said

'See, I told you daddy would find them for you didn't I, hey?' she asked her. Lauren turned on the tap so it was running slowly and she put Eve's hand under it, washing the blood away.

'Ow…mama…Ow!' Eve whimpered, turning her head to Lauren to see what she was doing.

'I know it hurts baby, but we need to make sure it's clean and there no glass in it' she told her softly.

'Gass?' Evie frowned confused.

'You touched the broken glass in the picture frame' Joey explained to her. Evie frowned at him.

'I's talking to mama!' she snapped at him.

'Hey, missy!' Lauren said 'don't be rude to daddy' Lauren said, bending slightly so she was level with Eve's eyes 'you don't want to get a black sticker on your Christmas chart, do you?'

'No mama' Eve's bottom lip wobbled and she turned to Joey. 'Evie's sowwy dada, sowwy I's rude'

'It's okay sweetheart' Joey said with a small smile, he reached out and wiped her tears away. 'While mama's checking for glass shall we pick out which plaster you want?' he asked in an attempt to distract her.

''Kay' she nodded and sniffed. Joey opened the box and tipped all the plasters out on the counter top.

'What about this one?' he held one up to her.

'Nope' Eve shook her head, her curls bouncing as she did so. Lauren smiled as she listened to Eve reject all the plasters Joey held up to her, even though they had the same picture on them. Lauren finished washing the cut and grabbed some cotton wool and dabbed it dry, she was relieved to see the bleeding had stopped and she turned off the tap.

Joey was feeling frustrated as there were only two plasters left. 'This one?' he asked Eve.

'No dada. Dat one' she pointed to the one left on the counter. Joey picked it up and ripped it open, Eve moved her hand from Lauren's pausing to inspect it. 'Topped beeding' she said 'fankoo Mama'

'Let daddy put the plaster on it so it doesn't get dirty' Lauren told her as she reached for a tissue and wiped Eve's face. Eve watched in fascination as Joey wrapped her finger in the plaster and then he took her hand in his, raised it to his lips and kissed her plaster softly.

'There daddy kiss it better' he told her with a smile.

'Mister Pink hurted finger too dada' Eve told him. 'Miter Pink need paster' Joey sighed and got another plaster out and put it on Mister Pinks Paw. 'Fankoo Dada' Eve beamed at him.

'You're welcome baby. Now how about we all go in the lounge and watch TV?' he asked her.

'Can we watch Wudy?' Eve asked him hopefully.

'Of course we can' Joey nodded his head, although that was the last thing he wanted to watch, he scooped Eve off the work surface, whilst Lauren packed up the first aid kit and washed her hands, she made herself a hot drink and grabbed some crisps from the cupboard and headed into the lounge.

'Mama, sit here' Eve said patting the cushion on the sofa beside her. Lauren put the drink down on the table by the arm of the sofa, along with her crisps and she sat down. As soon as she had, Evie scrabbled over to her and sat on her lap, her head resting on Lauren's chest. Joey started the DVD and Eve was transfixed on the screen as though this was the first time she'd ever seen it, when in fact she'd watched it over a hundred times. He glanced at Lauren and saw she was flinching every so often. Eve frowned and wriggled in Lauren's lap trying to get comfortable, Lauren flinched again.

'Okay Evie, why don't you come and sit on daddy's lap?' he asked her 'mummy's uncomfortable' he said.

'I's being good' Eve frowned at him and she turned to look at Lauren 'I's good, mama?'

'Yes, darling you are, but Squiggle is kicking a lot and have you on my lap too it's making me feel uncomfortable' Lauren told her softly. 'I think you should sit with daddy'

'But I's wants to sit wivoo' Eve said to her.

'Please Eve' Lauren said with a slight frown 'when Squiggle is settled you can come and sit with me again later okay?' she asked her.

Eve's bottom lip jutted out and she reluctantly climbed off Lauren's lap, choosing to sit between her daddy and mummy, 'Iggle naughty' Eve frowned. 'Iggle get a back tar…'

Joey looked at her. 'No Evie' Joey shook his head, scolding her gently 'Squiggle is just getting big and cramped in mummy's tummy. So the baby needs to stretch out their arms and legs to get more room' Joey told her 'Squiggle's doing star jumps'

'I can do tar dumps' Eve grinned clambering off the sofa, proceeding to show Joey and Lauren 'see'

'Yes, well done Evie' Lauren nodded her head 'you're very clever'

'See, that's where Squiggle gets it from' Joey said 'from watching you'

Eve's widened in surprise. 'Da baby can see me?' she asked, stopping mid star jump.

'Mmhmm' Joey nodded his head 'and Squiggle sees what a good girl you are and how clever you are'

Eve nodded her head 'I's vewy cever' she agreed with Joey, she smiled and twirled around for him 'and pity' she said.

'Beautiful' Joey smiled at her 'both my girls are' he said glancing at Lauren. He shifted on the sofa so he was sitting closer to her. His right hand rested on her bump and he rubbed gently 'hey, settle down you' he murmured to the bump 'be good like your sister, you're making mummy fidgety' Lauren smiled as Joey gently scolded the baby, resting her head on Joey's shoulder, sighing in relief as she felt the baby beginning to still. 'I'm sorry, about what I said to you earlier. I didn't mean to upset you…I'm not entirely sure what it was I said that upset you…'

'I'm hormonal and tired, Joey' she reminded him 'you could have told me I had a spot and I probably would've reacted the same way' she said to him 'I get what you were trying to say, I do. But this is what I do every day when you're at work. I'm home alone with Evie and we cope fine. It felt as though you were telling me I wasn't doing a good job and that I wasn't coping'

'That's not what I meant' he said to her softly, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head 'you're doing an amazing job, you always do' he told her softly 'I know how tiring keeping Evie amused can be' he said 'I guess I feel guilty that I'm not here to help you'

'You have to work' Lauren said.

'So do you, I know you haven't taken on any work for the past couple of months' he said to her 'but you work hard too babe' he said and he raised her chin with his fingers so she was looking at him 'I want to be here more, I want to help out more…with Evie, with Squiggle…' he brushed his hand over her belly softly. 'I want to be a good dad'

'You are' Lauren said surprised he didn't know that already 'Evie adores you, and this one will too' she told him 'You're the best dad in the world'

'I'm working too hard! I'm doing exactly what my dad did. What I promised I wouldn't do. I want to be a proper dad, be here for all the big stuff and the small stuff. I missed Evie's first steps…and yes I know you videoed her and sent it to me…but I don't want to miss any more. I want to be a family man' he told her

Lauren frowned 'what are you saying?' she asked him 'are you going to sell the club?'

'No' he shook his head with a smile 'I'm taking a step back for a while, I'm going to let James take over the day to day running of the club. He wants more responsibility, we can afford to give him a pay rise' he said to her, 'I can do the books from home…'

Lauren blinked at him 'are you sure you want to do this?' she asked him. 'We'll be spending 24/7 around each other, I don't want you to get sick of me'

'I love you' Joey told her 'I'll never get sick of you. Besides I want to spend 24/7 with you and Evie and this one' he stroked her belly again. 'I mean…if that's what you want too?' he asked her.

Lauren smiled and nodded 'I think that sounds perfect' she told him and she reached forward and kissed him softly.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Just before Joey took Eve to bed the family gathered around the Naughty or Nice chart. 'Okay, so who do we start with first?' Joe asked.

'Evis' Eve said clutching Mister Pink tightly to her chest.

'Okay we'll start with Elvis…so what colour star do we think Elvis needs to have today?'

'A back tar, dada' Eve said 'Evis naughty'

'Okay…what did he do that was naughty?' Joey asked her.

'Evis made me and Miter Pink ky ren he said Santy rasn't weal and dat wudy couldn't fy' Eve said.

'That's right he did and that was naughty, but he did some good things today too didn't he?' Joey asked her.

Eve thought for a moment 'He said to eat mama's sasage so Evie's tummy dint rake her'

'That was a good thing' Joey said 'anything else?'

Eve frowned and looked up at Lauren 'rot else, mama?'

'Well, Elvis made you a mid-morning snack and left it in the fridge for you. That was nice right?'

'Wight' Eve nodded her head.

'So do we give Elvis a gold star?' Joey asked her.

'I finks so, dada' Eve nodded her head.

'Okay good, Lauren?' he glanced up at her, smiling as he saw she had already peeled the stickers off, Joey took it from her and he stuck it on the chart. 'Now what about Eve? What colour star does Eve get today, what do you think?' he looked at Lauren.

'Gold' Lauren said 'she was a good girl when she got up this morning and she played quietly in the lounge whilst I was sleeping…and she read me a story and she drew some pretty amazing pictures today, so I think Evie gets a gold star too'

Eve beamed at her mummy and watched as she peeled another gold star off and she handed it to Eve who stuck it underneath her first one. 'Evie's good girl' she announced proudly.

'Yes she is' Joey smiled and he picked her up 'Okay time for bed sweetie' he told her. 'Say night to mama'

'Nunight mama' Eve said and she smiled, kissing her cheek softly.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren was still awake when Joey came into the bedroom. 'She's asleep again, finally' he told her as he stripped off his robe and climbed into bed beside his wife. 'I had to read to her again'

'I heard' Lauren said pointing to the baby monitor they still used. 'You're getting good at the voices'

'Not as good as you apparently' Joey pouted slightly, as he gathered Lauren into his arms.

'Well it is hard to beat perfection' she teased him. Joey's hands swept under her t-shirt and settled on her bump.

'And is this one asleep?' he asked as he kissed Lauren's neck.

'Yep, been still for about five minutes' Lauren nodded her head. 'I don't think I'm going to be that far behind…'

'At least you know you can have a lay in tomorrow' Joey murmured against her neck 'I'll be here'

'I'm looking forward to it' she said. They were both quiet for a moment and then he heard a familiar rustling noise.

'Are you eating cocktail sausages?' he asked her.

'Mmhmm' Lauren murmured. 'I found them under the pillow, I think Mr Jingle and Miss Tinsel put them there, so there get a gold star tomorrow' she said with a smile 'oh by the way, we need some more of these, I've eaten them all'

'We?' Joey asked her 'we haven't eaten half our body weight of them'

'Squiggle likes them' Lauren protested. 'So does Evie'

'Joey likes them too, given half a chance' Joey replied. He heard the rustling again and then felt something press against his lips, he smiled to himself as he opened his mouth and took the sausage from Lauren. 'Thank you. We'll get some more tomorrow'

'Thank you' Lauren smiled 'Love you'

'Love you too' he replied and he rubbed Lauren's stomach. 'Happy 3rd day of Christmas Squiggle' Joey whispered softly.

 **AN: Well, Lauren's taken to sharing her cocktail sausages with Joey and Evie, albeit a little reluctantly! And Evie is getting used to Evis the Elf and all in all he's not really a bad elf, he's just not really house trained yet. And I wonder what things Miss Tinsel and Mr Jingles will get up to? 74Crazychick is back tomorrow with the next chapter, another film title…any guesses? Don't forget to leave us a review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**It's 74CrazyChick again… back with another chapter… We really hope you like it…**

 **Chapter 4: Scrooge**

 **Tuesday 17** **th** **December 2019**

"I really don't understand why you won't let me go shopping…" Lauren said in a firm but harsh whisper so that Eve didn't overhear their disagreement, after the previous day's events where Eve ended up with a cut finger.

"It's probably something to do with you being more than eight months pregnant, babe…" Joey replied, his voice as quiet as his wife's.

Lauren sighed, hating somewhat that he was right. "Well, it's going to be a merry fucking Christmas for everyone then, isn't it?" she added in a murmur.

"Of course, it will be… we'll make it special for our little girl… and we'll all be happy…"

"Happy but presentless…" Lauren said.

"Maybe we should've got the presents for her earlier… rather than leave it till the last minute…?" Joey helpfully suggested.

Lauren clenched her fist, "Joe, Evie is two and a half years old… almost and she changes her mind about things almost as frequently as we have to change her clothes… There is no point in me wasting our money on things she doesn't really want…" she reasoned, trying to keep her voice calm, "And anyway, our mum's don't help… with the presents they keep buying her…" she added, disgruntled as she slowly got to her feet and went into the kitchen, sensing her husband trailing behind her.

"All I'm saying is that if you want to go shopping… we go shopping together… so I can keep an eye on you and also carry the presents…" he said, watching as she opened the fridge and began to look at the shelves. He wondered what he would be sent to the MinuteMart to get for her shortly.

Lauren sighed and closed the fridge, opening the freezer door instead. "And how am I supposed to get any presents for you?" she snapped, unable to keep her frustration bottled any longer. She slammed the freezer door shut and opened a cupboard door, grabbing two jars of mincemeat from the shelf and placing them on the side. "Evie…" she called through to their daughter.

"I've told you before…" Joey said, "I don't need any presents…" he murmured into her ear as his hand brushed over her distended belly, "Squiggle is more than enough of a present for me…" he said, "I don't care that it'll be a bit late… and I don't get it on Christmas Day… it'll still be special, babe… Because Squiggle is going to make our family perfect…"

"And I'm betting you've spent a fortune on me…" Lauren griped, pulling away from him and returning to the fridge. She opened the door and began pulling out various items.

"Not a fortune… but I've got you a few things…" he told her. He frowned when he saw the tension increase in her frame, the fridge door being slammed shut once more.

"Fantastic…" She muttered. The sound of running footsteps heading towards them silenced them both but Joey could tell that his wife wasn't happy.

"Mama?" Evie said, running to her mummy's side and leaning against her legs.

"I was thinking I could make some mince pies this morning, Evie… And I wondered if you'd like to help mummy with it… I'm sure it'll help cancel out the tantrum you had this morning, won't it?" she said.

"Do you fink so, mama?" Evie whispered, her bottom lip quivering slightly as she thought about the threat of a black star beneath her name for the day.

"I really think it will help, sweetheart… and mummy would really appreciate your help…" she added.

"App…" Eve screwed up her face in confusion.

"I'd really like you to help me…" Lauren said.

"Evie wants to elp mama…" she stated, beaming a smile up at her mummy.

"Then we'd better get on with it…" Lauren said. "And daddy can go out and get some things for mummy while we're doing this, can't he?" she told her. "Mummy needs some wrapping paper and Christmas cards… so you can write your cards, eh, Evie…?"

"I's got to wite a card for Oseph…" Evie said, nodding her head sagely, something she'd picked up from her Granny Tanya. Eve glanced at her daddy before turning back to her mummy. "Do you fink dada will get the wight ones?" she asked.

"I'm sure he'll find some really nice cards you can use…" Lauren said pointedly, looking at her husband. "He won't be a Scrooge and buy cheap, nasty cards that no one would like to send…" she said, "because if he did, daddy would get a black star too… and then Santa won't bring him any presents…"

"Is Santy and Wudy watching you and dada too, mama?" Evie said, gasping when she saw her mummy nod her head. "Wow… Is you being good too, mama?" she asked her.

"Mummy is always good, Evie…" Lauren said, walking over to a cupboard near the kitchen door and opening it. She pulled out two aprons. "Dada on the other hand… he can be a bad boy sometimes… and mummy has to tell him off…" she explained.

"Poor dada…" Eve whispered. "Maybe Santy will giv him coal for Kissmas?" Eve said.

"Maybe he will…" Lauren said.

"Can Miter Pink elp us bakes too?" Eve said as Lauren put Eve's apron over her head.

"I think Mister Pink will be more of a hindrance than a help, Evie…" she said, "He'll get in the way…" she said, seeing the confusion on the little girl's face. "I've got an idea, Evie… how about Mister Pink goes shopping with daddy… and he can then keep an eye on him for us both… and report back to us later about if he behaved himself…"

"Oh good finking, mama…" Eve said, "I's gonna go and gets him fom my bedoom… and tell him the pan…" Lauren took the apron off her again and she ran from the room quickly, Lauren turning to her husband.

"You didn't have to kick me out of the house, babe…" Joey said, "I know I've pissed you off… but I'm just thinking about you and Squiggle…"

"Well, if I can't go shopping… then you'll have to do it for me, won't you?" she said. She grabbed a pad and pen and began to scribble things down.

"What's that?" Joey asked.

"A list…" she said, "Things you need to buy…" She tore the sheet off the pad and held it out to him. He took it from her but squeezed her hand in his and pulled her towards him, his arm wrapping around her waist.

"Am I forgiven?" he whispered, lifting his free hand and pushing some strands of hair back from her face and tucking them behind her ear.

"Maybe," Lauren breathed, closing her eyes.

Joey smiled tenderly and then leant forward and kissed her just as tenderly, taking advantage of her eyes being shut. She moaned into his mouth and his hand slid lower on her back, cupping her bum and pulling her against him.

"Kissykissy…" Eve said, running back into the room. Lauren and Joey pulled apart and Joey bent down, picking Evie up in his arms. He stood again and the little girl leant forward and kissed both of her parents on the cheek. "Miter Pink is vewy cited, dada…" she whispered. She held her pink bear out to her daddy and he took him from her, releasing his hold on his wife.

"Well, Mister Pink and I should start getting ready for our boy's day out…" Joey said. "You make sure you look after mummy for me, okay?" he said, setting Eve down on her feet.

"I rill, dada… I pomise…" Eve said as she nodded her head, a serious expression on her face.

"Good girl…" he said, kissing her forehead gently. "Maybe you can get two gold stars tonight, eh?" he said.

"You fink so, dada?" she said, an adorable expression appearing on her face and in her eyes.

"Mummy and I will talk about it later on… okay?"

"Kay, dada…" she whispered.

Joey turned to Lauren and placed his hands on her bump, "Behave for mama, Squiggle…" he said softly, pressing his lips against her tummy, leaving them there for several seconds before he stood again, stepping closer to her. "See you later, babe…" he said, "Call me if you need…"

"We'll be fine, Joe…" she breathed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes, his previous actions having blown her away slightly and calming her earlier anger.

"I'd better go then…" Joey said, pulling his coat off the hook and putting it on. He looked out of the window, "I'd better take my bag with me… so Mister Pink can go in there… we don't want him to get wet or cold, do we?"

"No dada… he don't want the fu" Eve said.

"I'll just go and get my backpack… I'll be back in a moment…" He left the room and while he was gone Lauren put the apron back over Eve's head, reaching around her back and then bringing the ties around to her front again, fastening it at her front. She stood up as Joey returned to the room and he kissed her on the cheek again, putting Mister Pink in his backpack after Eve had kissed him bye bye and zipping it shut. "I won't be too long…" he said.

"Take as long as you want, Joe." Lauren said. "We're going to be busy for a while…" she said, fastening her own apron around herself, in the same way she had Eve.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Eve was standing on a small stool that they had got for her so she could "assist" in the kitchen. Lauren was standing next to her and was making sure she didn't create a mess. She was standing on her step, leaning on the table and watching as Lauren made the pastry.

"Ren can I elp, mama?" she asked softly.

"Soon, sweetheart… let mummy just finish making this pastry and then you can help me…"

"'Kay, mama…" Eve said. "Do you fink Miter Pink will be okay wiv dada?" she asked.

"Eve May Branning…" Lauren said, stopping what she was doing and wiping her hands on the apron. "Your daddy always looks after you, doesn't he?" she said, sitting a chair so she was the able to see her little girl better. Evie nodded her head. "He keeps you safe, doesn't he? Hugs you in his big strong arms…" she said, taking Eve's hands in each of her own and squeezing them gently. Again Eve nodded, biting her bottom lip. "Now, do you think your daddy would let anything happen to Mister Pink?" she asked her gently, "He knows that you love Mister Pink more than pretty much everything in the whole wide world… he would never let anything happen to him because he knows it would hurt you… which would make him and me sad…" Lauren told her.

"I do luv Miter Pink…" Eve whispered, "not as much as I luv you and dada, mama…"

"That's good to know, Evie…" Lauren said, smiling as she pushed some hair back from Eve's face and tucking it behind her ear. "I think you should go into your room and get one of your hairbands, sweetie so it doesn't get in your eyes…" she said.

"'Kay, mama…" Eve said. Lauren helped her step down from the step and then she ran off to her bedroom. While she was gone Lauren finished making the pastry, tipping it onto some flour on the table and pressing it into a neater ball. Eve reappeared and stepped up onto a stool.

"Can you put the hairband on yourself, Evie?" Lauren asked. "Or do you need mama's help?"

Evie thought about it for a few seconds, "Mama elp Evie…" she said, glancing down at the hairband in her hands.

"Okay, Evie… give me a minute to wash my hands and then I'll be right there…" Lauren said. She turned to the sink and ran her hands under some hot water until they were clean. She dried her hands on a towel and then moved back to Eve. She took the hairband from her and slid it into her hair, the curls and ringlets being pushed back from her face so she could see clearer.

"Fankyou mama…" Eve said. "Can I elp you now?" she asked.

"Yes, baby… it's time…" Lauren said. She cut the pastry into two smaller balls and then picked up the rolling pin and began to roll the larger pastry ball out until it was a very thin sheet on the table. She picked up the pastry cutters she'd got out earlier and held them up in front of Eve. "We're going to use these to cut shapes out of the pastry and we can put them in the trays that I'm going to grease in a moment. Mummy will show you how to cut them out… but then you can do the rest… and we can practice your counting while you do it… Okay?" she said.

"Are you sure, mama?" Eve whispered.

"I think you're big enough to do this, Evie… you're mummy's big girl now… I have faith in you, baby girl…" Lauren told her. With each compliment she could see her daughter's shoulders straighten up and her little face broke out in a huge smile. "Okay, then… are you watching mummy?" she said, turning to the table. "Okay… this is the cutter for the bottom of the pies…" she explained, "So you take the cutter and put it on top of the pastry like this…" she said, doing as she'd said at the same time. She glanced at Eve, seeing her watching her carefully. "Then you need to press down gently on the cutter… just pressing your fingers on this edges here…"

"'Kay mama…" Eve whispered.

"We need twelve of these, Evie… so you need to do eleven more… can you count to eleven?" she asked.

"Wiv mama elp…" she breathed. Lauren could almost feel the tension in her daughter and she wondered if she was asking too much from the little girl.

"Of course, I'll help you…" Lauren reassured her. "Come on, sweetheart…"

She stepped forward and picked up the cutter, putting it carefully on the pastry next to the one her mummy had just done. "Is that okay, mama?" she asked tentatively.

"Perfect…" Lauren said, smiling at her.

"Run…" Eve said as she put her fingers on the flat side of the cutter and pressing down gently. She moved the cutter again and Lauren smiled when she saw the look of concentration on her little face as she placed it back on the pastry. "doo…" she said.

Lauren picked up the pie tray and began to grease it thoroughly as Eve continued her task. After a while Lauren put the tray on the far side of the table. "How are we doing, sweetheart…?"

"I's lost count, mama…" Eve said worriedly.

"Let's count them together then…" she said. They counted them slowly with Eve only struggling over the numbers slightly. "You just need to do one more, baby girl…" Lauren said, smiling at her daughter. She leant over and kissed her gently on the side of her head. "Clever girl, Evie…" Eve did one more pastry bottom and then put the cutter to one side.

"What now, mama?" she asked.

"I'll pick up the cut outs… and put them in the baking tray…" Lauren told her. "Then we need to cut the lids out…"

"Oh…" Eve said, picking the cutter back up.

"It's this cutter this time, sweetheart…" Lauren said, showing the other cutter to the little girl.

"How many this time, mama?"

"The same number…"

"'Kay…" she said. Lauren sat patiently, overseeing her daughter as she cut out the lids for the mince pies.

"I's run out of oom, mama…" Evie said. "Evie been bad?" she asked, tears filling her eyes.

"No, sweetheart… you've done very well… Let me collect these cut outs up… and then I'll roll out the other piece of pastry and you can cut out some more…" she said. She did as she'd just said, rolling out the second ball of pastry until it was the same thickness as the first lot had been. "Here you go… you need to do eight more…"

"Yes mama…"

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

"I finks I's done, mama…" Eve whispered.

Lauren looked at the table, silently counting the pastry tops. "Fabulous job, Evie… a brilliant job…" She got slowly to her feet, smiling as Eve's hand reached for her when she swayed slightly. Lauren lowered her head and kissed the top of Eve's head softly. "Thank you, baby…" she murmured.

"I's looking afer you, mama… dada told me to…" she said. "But I would do… cos I luvoo…"

Lauren smiled, "I love you too, Evie…" She walked over to the side and picked up the jars of mincemeat, carrying them back over to the table. "We need to put this into the pastry bottoms and then put the tops on them… We can then bake them and then they'll be ready for Santa and Rudolph on Christmas Eve…" Lauren told her. "And we'll put a note with them… and tell them that you helped me make them…"

"Weally, mama…?" Evie gasped.

"Yes, sweetheart…"

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

"Stand back, Evie…" Lauren said as she opened the oven door, reaching inside for the baking tray. "It's very hot…"

"'Ot, mama…"

"That's right…" Lauren said as she lifted the hot tray out and placed it on the cooling rack on the top of the oven. "Now, we just need to let them cool down a little before mummy gets them out of the trays…"

"I's so cited, mama…" Eve whispered, "Can we bake gain?"

"I'm sure we can…" Lauren said, smiling at her daughter, "Let's go back in the lounge… maybe we could watch a DVD while we're waiting…?" she suggested.

"Can we watch Wudy?"

Lauren smiled, "That sounds lovely…" she said.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

The front door opened and Joey walked back into the house, many carrier bags in his hands. He continued through to the lounge, smiling as he saw his two girls lying on the sofa together. They were both asleep so he put down the bags quietly and moved to kneel in front of the sofa. He kissed Lauren softly, feeling her wake up after a couple of seconds. "You look tired, babe…" he said, pushing some hair back from her face and tucking it behind her ear.

"Evie and I did some baking…"

"You didn't need to do that…" he said. "You're supposed to be taking it easy…"

"I did… Evie helped me and I spent a lot of the time sitting down… It was hot in the kitchen though…"

"So no more fights about me cooking dinner on Christmas Day then?" he said, studying her face worriedly.

"No fights from me…" she breathed.

"Good…" Joey said.

"Maybe your mum or my mum can help you with some of the prep beforehand…" Lauren said.

"I can do it, babe…"

"I know you can, Joe… but I don't want you to miss out on Evie's Christmas because you're stuck in the kitchen…"

"I'll speak to mum." Joey agreed. He glanced at their daughter, "Was she good?" he asked.

"She was great, Joe… she really helped me… She even made sure I was okay… and told me we should have a drink once we were done…"

Joey smiled, turning his attention to his daughter. He stroked the side of her cheek with his fingertip and then he took his backpack off and opened it, pulling out Mister Pink. He placed the bear under her arm and Evie's arm tightened on him, clearly sensing he was back with her. "We did good, babe, eh?" he said, glancing at his wife.

"We did…" Lauren said, smiling at him, "Not bad considering the childhood's we had, is it?" she said.

"No…"

Lauren turned her attention to the bags in the corner of the room, "That's a lot more than what was on my list…"

Joey shrugged, "I got a few extra bits…" he admitted, "I didn't want anyone to think I was Scrooge, did I?" he said, staring at her pointedly.

"You know I don't think that, Joe…" she said softly, frowning at the expression on his face.

"I do…" he said. "You were just teasing me earlier… I know that…"

"You'd better hide those things… before tiny eyes wake up and start to get nosy…"

"Good thinking…" Joey said.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey took the bags into the bedroom, a few minutes later he appeared in the doorway, 'why are my clothes all over the bedroom floor?' he asked Lauren.

Lauren blinked at him 'What? Are they? I don't know how that happened' she said shaking her head.

'You expect me to believe that?' Joey frowned at her 'this is you getting back at me for not letting you go shopping? That's really immature, Lauren'

'It wasn't me' she said widening her eyes, hoping it would give her an innocent look 'it must have been the elves' she said and she tried to hide her smile.

'The elves?'

'Had to be. I've been with Evie all day' she said to him 'you can ask her when she wakes up'

'The elves?' he said again shaking his head and he sighed, turning and walking back into the bedroom.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Just before Eve's bedtime, the three of them (and Mister Pink) were standing in front of the chart, 'Okay so we need to put up stickers for today' Joey said to him and he looked at Lauren, 'can you pass me the stickers please, babe' he said to her. 'Thank you' he smiled as she handed them to him.

'Okay so, daddy knows that Mr Jingle and Miss Tinsel were naughty so they get a black star before we even start' he said peeling one off and adding it to the chart. 'Now what about Elvis, Eve has he been good?'

Eve thought for a little while 'he no made me ky' she shook her head 'he no been naughty'

'So a gold star for Elvis then?'

'I fink so, dada' she nodded her head.

'And what about Eve?' Joey said as he stuck a gold star onto Elvis' column. Eve chewed on her bottom lip, 'has Eve been a good girl today?' he asked her as Eve looked down at her feet and she shrugged.

Lauren licked her lips and she moved forward and crouched down beside Evie. 'Let's see, you had a tantrum this morning, didn't you?' she asked her. Eve nodded her head and her bottom lip wobbled as she sniffed 'and then you helped mummy bake some mince pies and then you read a story to Squiggle to settle her down, didn't you?' Lauren asked her, Eve nodded her head but a tear rolled down her cheek. Lauren put her arms around Eve, 'hey, what are the tears for?' Lauren asked her softly.

'Evie bin bad' she said.

'No, I think Evie's been a good girl, I think she deserves a gold star, please' Lauren looked at Joey and he nodded his head and he peeled one off and he held it out to Eve.

'Here you go, sweetie, stick this on your chart' Joey told her. Eve took the sticker and she reached up and stuck it under her name.

'Fankoo' Eve said with a smile. 'Mama take Evie to bed tonight?' she asked. Lauren nodded.

'Of course baby' she said and she pulled her into her arms and hugged her tightly.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

"How was Squiggle today?" he asked later when they were in bed, his hand brushing over Lauren's bump.

"Not too bad… had a bit of a jumping session a little while ago but Squiggle settled down quite quickly… Evie helped… she asked me to read her a story and it soothed Squiggle…"

Joey smiled, "Good…" he leant forward, kissing the bump, "Happy fourth day of Christmas, Squiggle… mummy and daddy are really looking forward to seeing you… And your big sister Evie is really excited about meeting you too…" he said, his hand continuing to brush over the surface.

 **A/N: Bless Eve for being a good little girl and looking after her mummy. Things are a little tense between Joey and Lauren though, right? Anyway, send us a review and let us know what you think. Eastendersfan444 is back tomorrow with another chapter.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 5: Dear Santa**

 **Wednesday 18** **th** **December 2019**

Lauren woke up finding herself alone in the bed. She could hear Joey and Eve in the lounge. She climbed out of bed and frowned seeing a lump under the duvet on Joey's side of the bed. She pulled back the covers and what she saw underneath surprised and shocked her. She smiled, shaking her head. Obviously Miss Tinsel and Mr Jingles had been very, very naughty last night. She pulled her robe off the back of the door, pulling it on and she walked out into the lounge.

'MAMA!' Eve squealed as she saw her, she abandoned Joey and ran across the room, flinging herself at Lauren's legs and wrapping her arms around them 'Hewwo'

'Hello, Evie' Lauren smiled down at her, brushing her hand over her hair.

'Hi baby' Eve's hand patted Lauren's belly gently. She felt the baby kick and she gasped. 'what was dat mama?'

'Squiggle said hello to you too' Lauren smiled. 'Let mama go baby, I need to go to the bathroom' she told her.

''Kay mama' she said letting Lauren go and watching her as she went to the bathroom. When Lauren returned Eve was sitting on Joey's lap. Lauren smiled and she sat down next to them both.

'So what did Elvis get up to this morning?' Lauren asked her.

'Evis was naughty mama. He weed on my cander' she told her with a frown.

'He did what?' Lauren exclaimed looking at Joey.

'Tell mama what Evis did, dada' Evie looked up at him.

'It would appear that Elvis needed to go to the bathroom during the night and he decided to go on the windowsill and on this one's calendar' he told her. 'And then he spilled milk in the kitchen all over the floor'

'Well we need to remember to put a black sticker on Elvis' chart tonight' Lauren said to her.

Eve nodded her head 'I's rill, Mama'

'Good girl' Lauren smiled at her. 'Speaking of the naughty and nice list, I think a certain Miss Tinsel and Mr Jingles need to have black stars added against their names' Joey looked up at her with a smirk.

'Why mama? Haf they been naughty too?' Eve asked her with wide eyes.

'Mmhmm' Lauren nodded her head. 'Very naughty' she said getting up and walking through to the kitchen, she opened the fridge and poured herself some orange juice. The cocktail sausages caught her eyes and her mouth watered. She pulled the container out of the fridge and carried them back to the lounge, taking a seat again.

'Interesting breakfast, babe' Joey said to her.

'The baby wants them' Lauren told him as she peeled back the wrapper and picked one out of the container, popping it into her mouth. 'Mmm' she closed her eyes as she savoured the taste.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Half an hour later, Lauren had showered and went into the bedroom to get dressed. Joey looked at Eve who was watching cartoons on the sofa. 'Daddy's just going to see mummy, Evie' he told her softly 'you stay here okay?'

''kay dada' Eve replied, her eyes not moving from the TV.

Joey walked into the bedroom as Lauren was looking for something to wear. 'So what did the Elves get up to?' he asked her as he came into the room. Lauren turned to look at him and she moved over to the bed and pulled the duvet back. Joey looked at the scene before him 'Oh!' he exclaimed dryly 'well at least there won't be any little elves running around. Mr Jingles is obviously being very responsible' he told her seriously.

'They're still at it' Lauren said to him. 'And they've already used seven condoms. Miss Tinsel isn't going to be able to walk if they keep this up' she told him.

Joey giggled. 'They're in love' he told her 'I think it's romantic'

'I think it's yucky…doing it in the bed we sleep in' she told him

'I'll have words with them' he told her.

'Make sure you do' Lauren told him as Joey moved up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and resting on her bump.

'How's Squiggle this morning?' he asked her as he kissed her neck.

'I think Squiggle is asleep now' she told him softly.

'Good' Joey whispered against her neck, Lauren gave a soft moan. 'Is there anything I can do for you this morning?' he asked her.

'You could go and get me some more cocktail sausages' she told him softly.

'Yeah?'

'Please' she nodded her head.

'Okay. I'll be back as soon as I can' he told her softly.

'Thank you' she replied with a smile 'Love you'

'Love you too' he whispered.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey was finally out of the house and Lauren had a task for Eve to do.

'Okay Evie. We need to write Santa Claus a letter so he knows what you want for Christmas this year' Lauren said to her as she sat down on the sofa with a couple of note pads on her lap. 'Do you want to tell mummy want you want to say to Santa and I'll write it down for you?' Eve looked at her and she nodded her head too.

'Yes, pease Mama. Miter Pink come too?' she asked,

Lauren smiled and nodded her head 'yes of course baby' Lauren patted the sofa beside her and Evie grabbed Mister Pink off the floor and practically ran across the room, she pulled herself up onto the sofa (with a little help from mummy) 'Okay so how do you want to start the letter?' Lauren asked her, looking at Eve expectantly. Eve looked at the paper that Lauren was going to write on and she smiled.

'Pity paper mama' she said reaching out to touch it. Lauren had added a pale pink background to the paper as well as some pictures of Santa and Rudolph to make it a little more Christmassy.

'It is. Do you think Santa and Rudolph will like it?' she asked her.

'Yes I fink Santy and Wudy rill like it ots' she replied.

'Good. I hope so' she told her with a smile 'So…how do we start the letter?'

'Mmmm' Evie put her fingers in her mouth as she thought about it, she looked down at Mister Pink and nodded her head. 'Hi Santy and Wudy…I's Evie May Branning' Eve said. Lauren nodded her head.

'That's really good Evie. Let mummy write that down for you' she said. Eve watched as the pen moved across the paper, watching how Lauren wrote the words. She giggled and pointed to her name when Lauren had finished.

'Dat says Evie' she said with a grin.

'That's right, it does. You are such a clever little girl' Lauren smiled at her.

'I haf your Ef Evis here to ook afer' Eve continued and then she paused and her little nose wrinkled slightly as she thought 'what else do you fink mama?' she asked her 'mama elp Evie?'

'Well, you need to tell Santa and Rudolph what you would like for Christmas so he can make sure he gets it ready in time for him to bring it you on Christmas Eve' Lauren told her. 'And I think we should tell him how Elvis has been behaving too, don't you?'

'Yes' Evie nodded her head 'Evis been naughty' she said 'he weed on my cander.' Lauren smiled as she started to write 'and he eated dada's cake and he pilled mik on the foor' she reeled off his naughty antics.

'He's been nice too though, hasn't he, Evie, we should tell Santa about that too' she encouraged her daughter.

'Evis been nice too Santy and Wudy. Evis made Evie beckfast and idied Evie's fings aray, and he weaded me a tory' she smiled as she remembered.

'That's good, now Santa can see that Elvis can be a good Elf too' Lauren told her. 'Now we have to tell Santa and Rudolph what you want for Christmas. Can you think of anything you want?' Lauren asked her.

Eve put her fingers to her mouth and she frowned as she thought about it. 'Sshh, Miter Pink, Evie's finking' she scolded her pink teddy. 'Ooh… A itten' Eve said looking up at her mummy 'I's need a itten'

'Oh you do?' Lauren asked her with a giggle 'Okay, let mummy write that down for you' She started to write but stopped, 'What colour kitten?' Lauren asked her.

'A geen one' Eve told her firmly, without a moment's hesitation.

'Kitten's don't come in green, sweetie' Lauren said with a smile 'they come in…wait a minute' she said, she put her pen and paper to one side and got up off the sofa 'you stay there, baby. Mummy will be back in a second'

''Kay mama' Evie nodded her head 'what fings do you want from Santy and Wudy, Miter Pink?' Lauren heard her daughter ask her teddy as she left the room. Five minutes later Lauren returned with her laptop and she sat down again beside Eve. 'Let's see if mummy can find some pictures of kittens for you to look at' she said to her with a smile. She typed onto the keyboard and few seconds later her screen was covered in kittens. Eves's mouth opened in surprise as she saw all the kittens. As Lauren scrolled through the pictures she told Eve what colours they were. 'Dat one!' Eve said suddenly pointing at the computer screen 'Evie want dat one'

'A black and white one?' Lauren asked her

'Uh-huh. A back and rite one' she nodded her head vigorously making her curls bounce around her head.

'Okay, we can tell Santa the colour of kitten you want now' Lauren shut her laptop lid and picked up the pen and paper again, starting to write. 'What else would you like for Christmas?' Lauren asked her.

'A baby ister' Eve said 'and cake' she told her mummy. 'And Miter Pink wants a gobe rike Evie has' she said, looking up at her mummy expectantly and a little worried she had asked for too much.

'Okay, I've written those down, what else?' Lauren asked her.

'I finks dats all mama' Eve said staring up at her with her big brown eyes.

'That's all you want for Christmas?' Lauren looked at Eve.

'Yep' she nodded her head. 'Can Evie go pay now?'

'Course you can darling' Lauren said with a smile. She helped her off the sofa and Eve darted off to her bedroom, Mister Pink's paw clutched firmly in her hand.

Lauren smiled, Eve was such a good little girl, she'd expected to her say she wanted more things, but Eve seemed to be content with a kitten, a sister and cake. And another snow globe. She was easily pleased. Now all she had to do was find a black and white kitten that looked exactly like the one Evie had pointed out to her and she knew this would prove difficult to do, as Joey was reluctant to leave her side at the moment. He was only out now because she'd told him the baby needed some pre-cooked cocktail sausages and he was now out looking for them. She wondered if she could call Sarah and enlist her help, maybe she'd get to do some Christmas shopping of her own. She picked her mobile up and dialled Sarah's number. After a quick conversation the plan was in motion. Sarah was going to come and collect Lauren on Friday and the two of them were going to go shopping in secret. She grinned to herself as she tucked her mobile back into her pocket.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey came home twenty minutes later 'I've got them' he said, a little breathlessly as he came into the room. Lauren looked up at him with a small smile.

'Thanks but you better put them in the fridge' she told him softly.

'Your craving wore off' Joey said with a sigh. 'Sorry I didn't mean to be that long' he told her.

'It's okay' Lauren said with a smile as she stood up 'do you want a coffee?'

'I'll make it' he offered quickly 'you take the weight off your feet' he said without thinking.

Lauren quirked an eyebrow at him. 'Are you saying I'm fat?' her hands moved to her hips as she stared at her husband expectantly.

'Babe, you're not fat' he told her with a shake of his head as Lauren made her way to the kitchen. 'You're pleasantly rounded' he said following her, watching as she filled the kettle with water. 'Hey. I said I would do that'

'I'm perfectly capable of making a cup of coffee, Joe' Lauren said to him with a frown as he put the sausages in the fridge.

'Okay, sorry' he said, leaning in the side of the counter. 'Where's Evie?'

'She's playing in her bedroom' she replied getting out some cups 'she wrote her letter to Santa and Rudolph today' Lauren told him as she busied herself with her task.

'She did. What does she want for Christmas?' he asked her.

'The letter is on the sofa' she told him. Joey moved into the lounge and picked up the letter, unfolding it and taking it out of the envelope and he read it. 'Is that all she wants?' he asked her 'A kitten, a sister, a cake and a snow globe? Wow this is going to be a cheap Christmas this year, we'll have to break it to her gently that Santa couldn't find a kitten though' he told her. 'And what about you, Mrs Branning? What do you want for Christmas?' he asked her.

'What do you mean we have to tell her that Santa couldn't get her a kitten? And why can't we get a kitten for Evie?' Lauren turned to look at Joey midway through pouring the hot water into the cups.

'I don't like cats' Joey said with a shrug and he walked out of the room as if that was the end to the conversation.

Lauren put the kettle down and picked up her cup of coffee and carried it through to the lounge. 'Evie does and she wants one for Christmas' Lauren told him firmly 'and she is going to get one'

'Oh?' Joey turned to look at her 'And we're not going to discuss it first?' he asked her.

'Nope' Lauren replied sitting down on the sofa. 'There's nothing to discuss. It's on Evie's Christmas list and Santa is going to get it for her' she said to him as Evie came back into the room, Mister Pink in one hand and a piece of paper in another.

'DADA!' she exclaimed excitedly 'We's rited to Santy and Wudy' she told him as Joey bent down to pick her up. 'Miter Pink wants a gobe like me. And I's want a ister and a back and rite itten' she said to him 'D'fink Santy and Wudy rill bringed dem to me?' she looked at Joey expectantly.

'Of course he will, sweetheart' Lauren replied before Joey could say anything 'you've been a good girl'

Joey knew when he'd been backed into a corner. He sighed and smiled at Evie, nodding his head.

'Of course he will, darling' he said softly. Eve beamed at him happily.

'I dawed dem' she said holding up the paper.

Joey looked at it 'That's really good, Evie, why don't you show mummy?' he said putting her down. She raced over to Lauren and clambered onto the sofa face first, giggling as she righted herself.

'See?' she said.

'You are so clever' Lauren told her, putting her cup on the table. 'Well done you. Shall we send this to Santa and Rudolph too so he knows exactly what the kitten looks like?'

'Pease mama' Evie nodded her head and she smiled at her.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

'Okay it's time to add some stickers to some charts' Lauren said as she saw Evie start to nod off on Joey's lap. 'Come on Evie' she said and she stood up and picked her up and carried her over to the chart. 'Daddy?'

Joey groaned and he got up off the sofa. 'I was watching the football' he complained but he picked up the stickers on his way to them. Lauren licked her lips and smiled 'So we already know that Elvis and Mr Jingles and Ms Tinsel needs to have a black star and this little sleepy monkey needs to have a gold star' she told them. Eve lay her head on Lauren's shoulder and she put her thumb in her mouth.

'Seepy monkey' Eve echoed with a giggle. Joey put the stickers on the chart and he turned to look at Eve.

'I think sleepy monkey needs to go to bed' he said and he stood up and kissed her on the cheek. 'Sweet dreams baby' he whispered softly.

'Dada take me' Eve mumbled around her thumb, Lauren handed Eve over to him after kissing her on the cheek.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren was dozing on the sofa when Joey came back into the room. He smiled and picked her up carefully, carrying her into the bedroom, he took off her shoes and lay her down under the covers, pulling them up over her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. 'Sweet dreams, gorgeous' he whispered softly. He returned to the lounge and he saw Lauren's notepad and picked it up. He saw she had started to write a shopping list for things they would need for Christmas, he smiled, she was so stubborn. She was determined to spend Christmas at home and refused all invitations from the family about spending the day with them. Joey had told Lauren he would do most of the cooking and she had happily agreed. He turned the page and saw a list Lauren had titled " _ **What do I want For Christmas?"**_ There were only three things on her list. She wanted Eve to have the best day ever and get everything she wanted from Santa. She wanted her baby to be healthy. And the last thing on her list was that Joey never stopped loving her.

Joey smiled as he read the last one. There was no way on earth he was ever going to stop loving Lauren. If he was truthful just when he thought he couldn't love her anymore, he fell in love with her a little bit more. He couldn't imagine his life without her, or Evie…or Squiggle. Both his girls didn't want much for Christmas this year. Evie wanted a kitten, and Joey hated cats with a passion. He would much rather have a dog. But if his little princess wanted a kitten then a kitten she would have. He smiled as he put down the notebook. He got up and went through to the bedroom and undressed and got into bed beside his wife. Lauren rolled over, into his arms with a soft murmur. He kissed her head softly and closed his eyes.

'Happy fifth day of Christmas, Darling. And to you, Squiggle. I love you both so much' he whispered into the darkness.

 **AN: Hi, Eastendersfan444 here again. Thank you for all your reviews so far, we are so pleased you are enjoying this story. Tomorrow is 74Crazychicks chapter. Back tomorrow.**


	8. Chapter 8

**74CrazyChick here again – back for another chapter… I think this was the most enjoyable one for me to write so I hope you like it**

 **Chapter 6: The Santa Clause**

 **Thursday 19** **th** **December 2019**

Lauren was still lying in bed when Joey came back into the bedroom. "Yummy…" she whispered, watching as he walked around the room, a towel clinging to his hips, defying gravity… to Lauren's annoyance. "You're up early…" she said softly.

"I thought I'd take Evie out this morning… I've got some time off from work… I was going to take her shopping…"

"You could leave her here, Joe…"

"I need to take her… We're going to get your Christmas present, babe…" he said, "And Evie is adamant that she comes too…" he added. He walked over to the side of the bed, sitting on the edge beside her, his hand reaching for her, brushing some hair back from her face. "And then I was going to take her to see Santa…"

"The appointment is at two, Joe… Can I come with you…? I want to see her face when she sees him again…"

"Are you sure you're up to it?" Joey asked.

Lauren rolled her eyes, "Joe… I'm pregnant… And it's across the square… not miles away… We aren't going to be there for long…"

Joey sighed, "Fine… but we come home straight after…"

"Yes, boss…" Lauren said, with a smile.

"And… in the meantime…" he said, leaning down and kissing her softly, "You have a nice relaxing morning… taking it easy with Squiggle…" he told her.

"I can probable manage that…" she said.

"I know you didn't sleep very well last night…"

"Squiggle was awake… bouncing around… kicking up a storm…" Lauren admitted.

"You should've woken me up… and I would've tried to work my magic…" he said.

"What?" Lauren said, "So we both didn't get any sleep…?"

"It wouldn't have been for long… and anyway, once it'd worked, we would've both been able to get some sleep…"

"I guess…" Lauren said. She shifted on the bed, "I need to get up…" she said, pushing herself up so she was sitting. "Can you help?"

"You're supposed to be getting some rest…" He said, shaking his head, not moving as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Joe… I need to pee…" she said, shoving his arm, hoping to encourage him to get up so she could.

He saw the serious expression on her face and he moved off the bed, holding his hands out towards her and helping her to her feet. She ran from the room, as fast as she could when she was more than eight months pregnant anyway and she headed for the bathroom. Lauren waddled back into the bedroom… she hated referring to her walk as such but there was no denying that that was what it was. She'd given up pretending otherwise over a month ago. Her bump was much bigger than it'd been when she was pregnant with Evie and she would've been worried about it, except for the fact that Joey seemed infatuated with it… and was clearly turned on by seeing her with it… She made her way back to the bed and Joey helped her into it, kissing her deeply before she was back in the bed. "I need you to do me a favour, Joe…" she said.

"Anything, babe…"

"If I write down a few things, can you pick them up for me?"

"Sure… what do you need?"

Lauren grabbed a pad of paper from her bedside table along with a pen and began to scribble a few things down. "It's Evie's panto at nursery tomorrow and mum's coming over later to help me make her costume… I meant to pick up what I needed earlier this week… but someone refused to let me go shopping…" she said pointedly.

Joey was about to answer when the sound of small padded feet interrupted them. "Mama… dada…" Eve said, pushing their bedroom door open.

"Morning baby girl…" Lauren said. Evie ran at the bed, dragging herself up onto it and scrambling across to her side. She planted a sloppy kiss on her mummy's cheek.

"Hewwo mama…" she said. "Hewwo baby…" she added, directing her greeting to Lauren's bump this time.

"Give mummy a hug…" Lauren said, wrapping her arms around Evie and pulling her closer.

"Luvoo mama…" Evie said, burying her face against Lauren's chest.

"Are you looking forward to your trip out with daddy?" Lauren asked her. She glanced at Joey, seeing him finishing dressing.

"Yes mama… I's gonna be a big girl and go shops with dada…" Evie said.

"We'd better get you ready, Evie…" Joey said, heading back to the bed and sitting near Lauren's feet.

"Mama do it." Evie said adamantly, pressing herself more against Lauren.

"Sweetheart, mummy's getting some rest…" Lauren said, "Daddy will dress you in something pretty, I'm sure…"

"MAMA DO IT!" Evie cried, clinging to the T-shirt Lauren was wearing.

Lauren tried to move but stopped when she saw the expression on Joey's face. "Don't even think about it…" he growled and Lauren closed her eyes, affected by the sound of his voice.

"Evie… How about you go with daddy now… and the two of you choose something for you to wear… then you bring it back here and I help you get dressed?" she suggested.

"Mama elp Evie?" she whispered.

"Yes, baby…" Lauren said.

"Dada elp toose?" Evie checked, looking at her daddy.

"I think between the two of us we can find something nice for you to wear…"

"Okay…" Evie said, "Miter Pink is gonna elp us…"

"Let's go then, baby girl…" Joey said, holding his hand out towards the little girl, "You need to choose something nice because you're going to see Santa this afternoon…"

Eve gasped, looking at her parents, excitement on her face, "I's gonna see Santy?" she breathed.

"Yes, baby…" Joey said.

Eve scrambled to her feet and Joey lifted her off the bed, "Crickly, dada… Crickly… I's need to find somefink peshal…" she cried out, "Got to look my bestest for Santy…"

Lauren smiled, watching as the two people who were the most important to her left the room. Her thoughts drifted again to wondering what their second child would be like. She was excited now… it had been a long eight months since the beginning of her pregnancy and she wanted the end to be here now. She wanted to meet her new baby. The baby kicked and she brushed her hands over her bump, smiling as she felt a tiny hand press against the inside of her tummy. It was a very strange sensation.

Lauren got up off the bed and she walked to the closet and opened the door. She didn't want to stay in her night clothes all day but she wanted something simple and comfortable to wear. She took a deep breath and reached for a pair of grey jogging bottoms, she closed the door and walked round to Joey's side of the bed and opened his drawer looking for one of his t-shirts to wear, she grabbed a pair of his boxer shorts too and gasped in surprise when she saw Mr Jingle and Miss Tinsel in another compromising position with discarded condom wrappers around them. 'You are very naughty elves!' she said to them both shaking her head in amusement. 'But I suppose you're being careful, the other side of that is that you're not good enough to be sent to watch over children. Not together anyway' she said shaking her head, she pushed the drawer shut and walked round to her side of the bed and sat down, putting her pile of clothes behind her.

*JL*JL*JL*JL*

Evie returned, thrusting a small pile of clothes on Lauren's lap. Lauren looked them over, smiling as she saw some of Eve's favourite things before her. She wasn't sure they all went together but she could probably work it out. "Where's daddy?"

"He's ooking for my boots, mama…" Evie said.

"Your boots?"

Evie nodded, "Evis told me they ook good…Evis said I was pity" she said, smiling brightly at her mummy.

Lauren smiled, stifling the giggle that was dying to be released. "Let's get you dressed then, baby girl…" she said, staring to remove Evie's pyjamas. By the time Joey came into the bedroom, a pair of red boots in his hand, Lauren was just putting the red woolly tights onto Eve's legs. "Looks like daddy's found them, sweetheart…"

"Dada's the bestest, mama…" Evie said.

Lauren glanced up at her husband, smiling when she saw the expression on his face. He clearly had heard his daughter's words and after the last couple of days when Eve had been so clingy to Lauren, she knew it meant a great deal to him to hear her say that. "Yes, he is, sweetheart…" Lauren said, turning her attention back to Eve. "He's definitely a keeper…" she added, smiling down at her. Eve frowned briefly, clearly not completely understanding what Lauren had said but then she smiled brightly and nodded her head.

"Mama's bestest too…" she said, grinning widely at her.

"Thank you, sweetheart…" Lauren said, "Daddy and I are glad you feel that way…" She picked up the next item of clothing, "Can you sit up for mummy?" she asked. Evie pushed herself upright and Lauren put the reindeer jumper over her head, seeing her daughter screwing up her face as she pushed it over her ears. "Arms, Evie…" she prompted and Eve held her left arm up, pushing it into a sleeve. She did the same with her right arm a moment later. "Good girl…" she said. "Now, you're going out with daddy this morning… going shopping like a big girl…"

"Evie big girl…" She declared with a large smile.

"Yes, you are…" Lauren agreed. "Now, when you're out today, you have to be a good girl… there will be lots of people at the shops and it'll be easy for you to end up getting lost…" Eve's eyes filled with tears and Lauren swept her into her arms and hugged her tightly, "It's okay, baby… daddy will look after you and keep you safe…"

"In his big stong arms?" Eve whispered, using words that she'd heard so many times from her mummy.

Joey grinned as he saw his wife blush profusely, "Yes, Evie… in his big strong arms…" Lauren said.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey sat Eve on the edge of the bed and he knelt before her, pushing the boots onto each foot. He glanced at Lauren as he heard her move. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"Well, Joe… I need the bathroom again… and although I'm sure you would if you could… that isn't something you can do for me…" Lauren said. She struggled slowly to her feet, "And then I'm going to wave the two of you off… and then sit on my fat bum all day… possibly eating some of those cocktail sausages you brought the other day…" she finished, walking around the room.

"You're supposed to be resting…" Joey reminded her again, grabbing her hand as she walked past him.

"And I can do that just as easily sitting down in the lounge for the day as I can, sitting here… and anyway, there I'll be closer to the kitchen but the same distance to the bathroom…" she reasoned. "Please, Joe… I'll go mental if I'm stuck in here all day…" She stared at him intensely, "I promise I'll be good…"

"And you'll call if you have any problems?" he said softly.

"Of course…" she reassured him. "I'd better go." She said, squeezing his hand. "Or I'm going to make a right old mess here…oh and later tonight we need to talk about Mr Jingles and Miss Tinsel, they're at it in your drawer" He let go of her hand and she moved, as quickly as she currently could, from the room, leaving Joey grinning behind her.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

"NO DADA!" Lauren frowned as she righted her clothes. She moved to the sink and washed her hands. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Lauren looked at the door, wondering what the hell would make their daughter scream like that. "NO DADA!" she screamed again.

Lauren left the bathroom as quickly as she could, heading towards the lounge… where the screaming was coming from. She paused when she saw the scene unfold in front of her. Joey was trying to fight Eve and get her strapped into her buggy… Evie was having none of it though and was putting up quite a strong battle against him. "What is going on in here…?" she said, breaking through the screaming and drawing the attention of Joey.

He turned to her, "Can you deal with this?" he asked, desperation on his face now.

Lauren walked over to the buggy and Joey stepped backwards. Lauren pulled on the buggy, walking backwards so she could sit on the sofa. "What's with the tantrum, Evie?" she said softly, Eve still struggling to break free of the half in place buggy straps. "Eve Branning… stop screaming, right this instant…" Eve stopped after a few seconds, staring at her mummy. "That's better…" Lauren said, "Now what is with all the screaming?"

"No buggy…" Eve breathed.

"Do you remember what I said earlier about it being a busy day today and there being lots of people around?" Lauren said softly, wiping the tears from Eve's face.

"But Evie's big girl…" she whispered.

"Yes, she is…" Lauren said, "You're our big girl…" Lauren reassured her, "but daddy and I just want to keep you safe… and the easiest way of doing that is with you in the buggy… You'll still have a good time with daddy… and this way you won't get really tired… And…" Lauren said, smiling at her little girl, "this means that Mister Pink can go with you…"

"He can?" Eve said, wonder in her voice.

"Yes, sweetheart…" Lauren told her, "Now, are you going to be a good girl for mummy and let me put you in the buggy?" she asked.

"Yes, mama…" Eve whispered. She stopped fidgeting finally… so Lauren took the opportunity to fasten the rest of the straps. Joey appeared at her side, Mister Pink in his hands.

"Thanks, Joe." Lauren whispered. She took the pink bear from him and put it in the buggy next to Eve, the little girl lifting her arms and putting him under her arm. Lauren reached into the bag in the bottom of the buggy, pulling out a strap. "See how good Mister Pink is being when I put the strap on him…?" Lauren said as she fastened one end of the strap to the buggy and then the other end around his neck.

"Miter Pink good like Evie?" Eve whispered.

"Mister Pink is very good, sweetheart…" Lauren said, "Mister Pink didn't throw a tantrum because he didn't get his own way, did he?"

"No mama… Evie sowwy…" she said softly.

"It's not me you need to apologise to…" Lauren said.

Eve turned her head and looked at Joey, "Sowwy dada…"

"I forgive you, baby girl… You'll be good for daddy now though, won't you?" he said.

"Yes, dada…" Eve whispered.

"That's good, sweetheart… or you won't be able to go and see Santa…" Lauren said.

Eve hugged Mister Pink tightly in her arms, "Yes, Miter Pink… I's know you'se rant to see Santy…I's sowwy Miter Pink, Evie gonna be good now… no more tantums…" she said to her bear softly.

Lauren got to her feet once more after tucking a blanket around Eve's legs. "That was amazing, babe…" Joey said softly, lifting his hand and pushing some hair back from her face and tucking it behind her ear. "I can't believe you ever thought you'd be bad at this… you put me to shame, babe…" he whispered.

"This is what I deal with every day, Joe… I'm used to the tantrums… they don't happen often but you have to pull her up on them or they'll happen more…"

"You're going to have to give me pointers, babe…"

"I'm hoping she'll grow out of them." Lauren admitted.

"Well, we'd better be going." Joey said.

"Have you got the list?" she asked him.

"Yep, I picked it up when you were in the bathroom."

"Call me when you're on your way back and I'll get dressed so we can go and see Santa…"

"Will do…" he said, stepping forward and kissing her deeply. "Please, take it easy… have a nice restful morning…" he told her.

"I will…" she said. She trailed behind them as Joey pushed the buggy towards the front door. She stood in the doorway, watching as they made their way across the square and Lauren could imagine Eve taking in everything that was going around them both as they walked along. Lauren shut the door and went back into the flat. Now was the time for her to put her feet up for a few hours… assuming Squiggle gave her a couple of hours off too.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey was pleased with how the shopping was going but he could tell that Evie was getting fidgety in her buggy and he realised she was probably a little hungry. He stopped the buggy and bent over the top of it, looking at her face, "Shall we go for something to eat, Evie?" he asked.

"Yes, pease, dada… sops is hungy work…" she said, a sage expression on her face which made her words all the more funnier… and cute. He adored his little girl and he was so looking forward to being daddy again soon. That's not to say he wasn't also petrified. It was a huge responsibility bringing another child into the world and there was also the worry about how Eve would react once she had a sibling to share her time with him and Lauren. That had been the biggest worry for Joey, especially over the last few months, having been witness to some intense tantrums from Eve once she'd moved into the "terrible two's". This morning had been an example of that and he still struggled to handle them, whereas it was clear his wife was an expert. He knew Lauren was just as concerned about how Eve would be once the baby was born as he was and she'd brought a book online that she'd been furtively reading over the last few months. He turned his attention back to his hungry daughter.

"What would you like for lunch, Evie?"

"Fiss fingas, dada… and beens…"

"Evie?" Joey said softly.

"Pease, dada…" she added.

"Good girl." He said, smiling at her. "Let's go and see what we can find."

He pushed the buggy towards the closest food outlet that he was sure would be able to cater to his daughter's wishes. He smiled as he saw a person dressed as Santa sitting at one of the tables but his smile changed to a frown when he saw the can of beer open in front of him. He pushed Evie past him and they went to join the queue for food. A few minutes later they were making their way towards the seating area and once Joey had placed the tray of food on the table and pushed the buggy next to the table he quickly jogged away and grabbed a highchair that Eve could sit in. He lifted her out of the buggy and sat her in the highchair, pulling a bib from the baby bag on the back of the buggy and he put it onto her body as she eyed up the plate of food on the table. He turned to the plate once she was ready and he started to cut the fish fingers up into the Evie sized pieces.

"Evie elp…" Eve said.

"Let daddy do it, Evie… then you won't get too messy or get food down your special dress, will you?" he said to her. "I won't be long, I promise…"

"Evie hungy…" she said softly.

"I know, darling… daddy knows that… and you're a very good girl for sitting there so patiently while daddy cuts your food up…" he said. He put down the knife and fork and lifted the plate, "Here you go, baby girl…" he said, "Shall we use your cutlery?" he asked.

Eve nodded, "Yes, dada… ranna be cean for Santy…" she said.

"Just a moment then, Evie…" he said, reaching down into the bag and grabbing the small ziplock bag of cutlery they kept in there He pulled out a fork and spoon and held them out towards Eve, seeing her face light up as she saw Olaf's face on the handles. They were currently her favourite set of cutlery so he knew he'd made the right decision. "Eat up, baby…" Joey said, "and then we'll go back to Walford to get mummy and we can go and see Santa."

"Yay!" Eve shrieked, waving a bean laden spoon around a little too furtively. Joey pulled a baby wipe from the pack he'd grabbed from the bag and he used it to wipe her bean juice covered hand and the handle of the spoon. He handed the spoon back to her, leaning forward and kissing her forehead when he saw the worried expression on her face.

He started to eat his toasted Christmas sandwich, keeping an eye on Eve as she slowly ate her fish fingers and baked beans. She was doing a pretty good job of feeding herself, only missing her mouth once in every three spoonful's. She was still eating once he'd eaten his sandwich but she was nearly finished so he grabbed a couple of baby wipes and waited until she'd popped the last chunk of fish finger in her mouth. "Come on, poppet… time to clean you up a bit…" he said, leaning forward and taking her hands in his, a baby wipe cleaning each one efficiently as she chewed. She swallowed and grinned at him, a beautiful grin surrounded by baked bean juice and the odd remnant of fish finger crumb. He swooped in with another wipe and cleaned her face, including her cheeks… and a stray bit of bean juice that had somehow managed to make its way onto her forehead. Once the damage was mopped up he carefully removed her bib and stored it with the cutlery in an empty nappy sack. "Do you need your pull up pants changing, Evie?" he asked her. She shook her head but he had a quick sniff of her bum as he lifted her out of the highchair. She didn't smell so he took that as a good sign. He put her back in her buggy, fastening the straps tightly. He covered her with her blanket, watching as she prodded the rudolphs that were dotted over it. She started murmuring 'Wudy' as he packed the rest of their things away, checking the table thoroughly to make sure he hadn't missed anything.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey pulled his mobile out of his pocket as they walked towards the tube station. He pressed the screen twice and then lifted it to his ear. It was answered after a couple of rings. "Hey babe, we're just on our way home now…"

"I've just had a bath…" Lauren told him. "I'm about to get dressed…I'm naked and wet…" she added and Joey could hear the smirk in her voice. His mouth ran dry at her last words, the image of her voluptuous body sprang to mind and for a second he lost concentration. "Joe?" Lauren said after his silence.

"Sorry babe." He said, "Just got a little distracted… Anyway, we're on our way back to the Square now… just about to go into the tube station…"

"I'll be ready when you get back…" Lauren said.

"See you soon, babe." Joey said, ending the call quickly and putting his mobile back in his jacket. He pushed the buggy into the tube station and soon they were on the train. There was another person dressed as Father Christmas on the tube and Joey caught Eve staring at him a couple of times. After a couple of stops the man disappeared off the tube but Joey could see a thoughtful expression on her face.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey pushed Eve across the square, heading back towards the house. There was a chill in the air now and he walked a little faster, not wanting Eve to get too cold. He unlocked the front door of the flat and backed the buggy through the door, shutting the front door behind them, "I'll just go and get mummy, Evie…" Joey said softly, "You and Mister Pink play nicely together for a couple of minutes…"

"'Kay, dada…" she said, hugging her pink bear in her arms, a big smile on her face. He bent down and kissed her on the forehead, "Miter Pink too, dada…" she said, thrusting her bear up into his face. He smiled and then kissed Mister Pink on the forehead too.

"Be right back, baby girl…" He disappeared further into the flat and smiled when he saw Lauren sitting on the sofa. "We're home, babe…" he told her unnecessarily.

"Where's Evie?" she said, pushing herself upright on the sofa. Joey held his hands out towards her and helped her to her feet.

"She's in her buggy, playing with Mister Pink… she'll be fine for a few minutes…" he said, "How was your morning?"

"Nice and quiet… even Squiggle gave me a couple of hours off…"

"That's good then… you still up to going to see Santa with Evie?" he asked, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her gorgeous body against his.

"Of course… I can't miss out on our little girl seeing Santa, can I?"

"I'm sure she would understand if you're too tired, babe." Joey said in concern.

"I'm not too tired…" she said, "And she would notice if I wasn't there…"

"She wouldn't…"

"She would, Joe… Little girls notice these things…" Lauren said soberly, "I noticed every time my dad wasn't there for me when I was growing up… and the times when mum wasn't… I don't want Evie to grow up feeling the way I felt…"

"She won't, babe… we love her… She's the centre of our world… and always will be…"

"Even after Squiggle is born?" Lauren whispered, looking up at Joey.

"Have you been worrying about this?" Joey asked her softly, his urgency to leave dissipating.

"A little…" she admitted.

"No wonder you've been stressing out… You don't need to worry, babe… Evie will still feel loved… by us both and by Squiggle…"

"I've been in her shoes, Joe… I've been the little girl who got pushed aside when her parents had a second child…"

"We aren't your parents, babe… we will make this work…" Joey reassured her. "And this is definitely making me think my idea about being around here more often is something we should do… I don't want to be absent from either of our children's lives…"

"You won't be…" Lauren whispered.

"So we'll talk about this again… once Squiggle is born…?" he said hopefully.

"Yes."

"Mama! Dada!" Eve called through from the kitchen, "Miter Pink is ored…" she shouted. Joey and Lauren smiled at each other.

"We'd better go…" Lauren said, "Since Mister Pink is bored…" she said.

"We had… we wouldn't want him to be bored now, would we?" Joey said.

"No…" she said. "Can you grab my coat for me? I'm just going to get a scarf from our room…"

"Sure, I'll be in the kitchen with Mister Pink and our bored daughter…" Joey said, winking at her.

"I'll just be a second…" She said.

Joey went back into the kitchen, seeing Eve sitting in her buggy still, Mister Pink sitting next to her. "Mummy's just coming…" he told her, crouching in front of the buggy. "Mummy's just getting a scarf…"

"We's ored…" Eve said.

"I know, sweetheart… We'll be going in a minute… and then you can see Santa…" Joey said and he saw Eve glance at Mister Pink. Lauren walked into the room at that point and Joey got to his feet again, holding her coat up for her and helping her into it. "Let's go then." He said, turning the buggy quickly and then walking to the front of it and opening the door. "You ready?" He asked Lauren.

She nodded and started to push the buggy out of the flat, "Let's go… Santa is waiting…" she said.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

The small family made their way across the square, heading towards the Community Centre where Santa's grotto was set up. There was already a queue outside and they joined it. "Are you sure you're okay standing, babe?" Joey said.

"Yeah… it won't be for too long… and hopefully my being pregnant might get us a few queue jumping opportunities…" She told him.

"Mama, down…" Evie declared.

"When we're inside, sweetheart," Lauren said.

"Now, mama…" Eve said, her voice more determined this time.

"You heard mummy, Evie… you can get out of your buggy in a little while…" Joey said. Eve fell silent for a minute or two and the queue slowly moved forward. Lauren pushed the buggy forward and finally they were inside the doorway of the Community Centre.

"Down mama…" Eve said again.

"There are a lot of people in here, Evie… when we're closer to Santa…" Lauren said.

"NOW!" Eve shouted and several people turned around to look at them.

Joey squeezed Lauren's hand, seeing the look of embarrassment on her face. He moved back in front of the buggy, crouching down once more in front of their daughter. "Eve Branning… That is not the way we speak to each other, is it?" he said.

"Evie down…" she said, folding her arms across her chest, her bottom lip forming a pout as she frowned at him, a perfect display of Branning stubbornness. She looked just like Lauren used to do when they first got together… it was pretty adorable but Joey fought against his instincts to smile at her.

"No, Eve." He said firmly. "Mummy said that you can get out later… it's busy in here… like it was at the shops… You can get out when we're closer to Santa…"

"No." she said stubbornly.

"Either you start to behave… or we go home and you don't see Santa this year…" he told her, staring at her face. "And then maybe we'll be putting two black stars against your name tonight and Santa and Rudolph won't come and visit…"

"Don't care…" Eve said. 'We's go home'

"What do you mean, you don't care?" Joey asked.

"Dat's not Santy…" Eve said.

"Yes he is…" Joey said.

"I's sees lot of Santy's today… dis one isn't the weal one…" she declared.

"Yes he is." Joey repeated.

"NO ISN'T" she shouted at him.

Joey glanced at Lauren, not quite sure what to say next, "What is going on here?" a gruff voice said behind him. Joey turned his head and found Santa (a.k.a. Phil Mitchell) stood behind him. He was looking right at Eve, a serious expression clearly on his face. "Eve Branning… why are you making so much noise back here…?"

"You's not Santy…" She shouted.

Santa/Phil glanced at Joey, "May I?" he asked, nodding his head towards the buggy.

"Knock yourself out…" Joey said, standing up and moving back to Lauren's side, his arm winding around her waist, wondering that Phil had planned.

Phil turned back to the rest of the line, "I'm sorry… The grotto is closed for half an hour…" he said. People began to grumble. "Santa is entitled to a lunch break too, people…" he growled at them and the crowd quickly began to disappear. As it began to thin Phil turned back to the buggy, crouching down to where Joey has been a few minutes earlier. He reached forward and unfastened the straps. He glanced up at Lauren and Joey, seeing them watching him, clearly intrigued with what he was going to do. He picked up a quiet Eve and then stood back up and carried her over to the chair he'd been sitting on a few minutes earlier. He sat Eve on his lap and stared at her. "What do you mean I'm not Santa?" he asked her.

"I's rent sops wiv dada… I's saw rots of Santy's… you's can't all be Santy… Rich run is the weal Santy?"

"That's a very clever question, Eve…" he replied seriously. He was quiet for a little while, mulling over what he was going to say.

"You's not saying nuffink, Santy…" Eve prompted.

"Has your mummy and daddy told you about what I have to do every Christmas Eve, Evie?" he asked her. She shook her head. "I have to fly around the whole wide world…"

"With Wudy?" she asked.

"Yes, with Rudolph… we have to go and visit every little girl and boy that has been good and leave them presents... we even have to go and see all of the naughty children, just to make sure they've really been bad…and leave them coal, that's a lot of people we have to visit in one night…"

"It's not just Albie Scare?" she said.

"No, Eve… There are millions and millions of people around the world I have to visit… and that's too much for just one Santa to do all that… So you see, all of those Santa's you saw today, they're my assistants… and they're just warming up and practicing for the big night…"

"So you's the weal run?" she whispered.

"Of course I am… Do you think I'd miss out on a chance to see you?" he asked her. Eve smiled at him, her faith in Santa clearly restored.

"Can I have a hug, Santy?" she asked him.

"Of course you can, Eve…" he said. Eve pushed herself to her feet, wobbling slightly on Santa's leg as she stumbled towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. Despite his hardman image, Phil Mitchell was touched and he wound his arms around her and hugged her back.

"I luvoo, Santy…"

"I love you too, Eve Branning… You're a good little girl…" he said softly. "I think you need to go and apologise to mummy and daddy now, eh?"

"I gess…" she whispered.

Phil lowered her to the floor and she started to walk away from him, "Don't you want your present, Eve?" he called after her.

She turned back to face him, a frown on her face, "You dint ask me, Santy?"

"Ask you what?"

"Rot I's ront for Kissmas…" she whispered, "Did you forget?" she asked him quietly.

Phil nodded, "Yes, I did… Why don't you come back over here and we'll try that again?" he said, holding his arms out towards her. She smiled and ran back over to him, letting him lift her back onto his lap. Once she was situated, "Eve Branning, what would you like for Christmas?" he asked her seriously.

Eve thought about it for a few seconds and then smiled brightly at him, "I'd rike my likkle bruvva or ister… or a Itten…" she declared.

"Well, Rudolph and I will see what we can do about the kitten but… well, your brother and sister coming may be a bit beyond us both… That's not to say we won't try our best… but don't be too disappointed if we can't sort it out…"

"Oh… but I weally ront it…"

"I know… but there are some things even the real Santa can't do…"

"Weally?" she whispered, awe in her voice.

"Yes, really…" He said. "Let's get you back to mummy and daddy, shall we?" He stood up, easily lifting the little girl in his arms and he carried her back over to her parents. "I think this little one belongs to the two of you…" he said to the couple. Joey reached towards him and took Eve from him. "I hope you all have a Merry Christmas…" he said, "I'd better get back to my duties… a busy couple of days coming up…" He looked at Eve, "You remember what I said to you…"

"Bout you being the weal Santy?" Eve whispered.

"Yes." Phil said.

"I'll member, Santy… and Miter Pink and I rill put mint pies out for you on Kissmas Eve… and a cawot for Wudy…" she told him. "Mary Kissmas, Santy…" she added brightly.

"Merry Christmas, Eve…" He told her. "Oh, I still forgot one thing…" he said. "Wait one second…" He turned and hurried back to his chair. Lauren and Joey frowned when they saw him reach behind the chair and pick up a box, not a gift that came from the regular sack. He returned a few moments later with a large square gift that he held out towards Eve. "Here's your gift from me, Eve…"

"And Wudy?" she said as she grasped the large box in her small hands.

"Of course." Phil amended quickly, "Rudolph wanted to give you the gift too…" he said.

"Fankoo Santy… fanks to Wudy too…"

"You're welcome…" Phil replied.

"Come on, sweetheart," Joey said, "Let's go home…"

"I's sowwy, dada…" she said, "Sowwy mama… Evie bad girl…" Her eyes were tear-filled and she looked so sorry.

Joey glanced at Lauren and she smiled at him, nodding her head. "You're not a bad girl, Evie… you'd just been cooped up in your buggy for a long time…"

"I's weally sowwy, dada…" she repeated, "Miter Pink is too…"

"Mummy and I both know you are, Evie… It's okay… all is forgiven…" He kissed her on the forehead, "Let's go home so we can get you and mummy warm again…. say bye bye to Santa, Evie…"

"Bye bye, Santy!" Eve said, waving at Santa over her daddy's shoulder, "Kisskiss for Wudy!" she added, blowing kisses over his shoulder, not hearing her mummy giggle at the look on Santa's face.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

'Okay it's time to do the Naughty and Nice Chart Evie' Joey said 'and then you are going to bed'

'Okay dada' Evie smiled at him. 'Mama up!' she tugged on her mummy's hand and Joey smiled.

'Yeah, mama up!' he said holding his hand out to her, Lauren slipped her hand into his and he pulled her up.

'Thank you' she said, following them to the chart. 'Okay, where do you want to start tonight, Evie' Lauren asked.

'Mmm, wiv mama and dada's efs, I's finks' she said after a few moments.

'Black star' Lauren said straight away. 'Two black stars'

Eve looked up at her as Joey smirked and peeled two black stars off and stuck them under Mr Jingles and Miss Tinsel's name.

'Doo back tars mama?' Eve asked her in her a whisper.

'They're very, very naughty elves' Lauren said.

'Okay so who's next, Evie?'

'Evis' Eve said to him.

'Okay, so has Elvis ben naughty or nice today?'

Eve smiled 'nice dada' she said 'he elped Evie toose oots and he said Evie was pity. And he left a cake on my bed' she announced.

'So a gold star for Elvis?' he asked her.

'Doo god tars, dada' she said

'Two? Are you sure?' Joey asked her.

Eve looked at him and nodded her head. 'Uh-huh. Evis very good ef today'

'Two gold stars it is then' Joey said peeling them off and sticking them to the chart. 'Now it's Evie's turn' he said and he looked at her. 'So what do you think you should get today?' he asked her.

Eve chewed on her bottom lip 'a back tar' she said quietly and she looked down at the floor.

'A black star?' Joey asked her, 'Are you sure?' he and Lauren exchanged glances.

'Evie was a bad a girl' she whispered. Joey and Lauren exchanged glances.

'That's true you were, you had a tantrum when daddy tried to put you in the buggy and then you had another one when we were waiting to see Santa' Joey said 'you were a bad girl' he told her and he peeled off a black star and stuck in on the chart under her name.

Eve sniffed and the two of them knew she was crying. 'I's sowwy…' she whispered.

'But the fact that you knew you were a bad girl and the fact that you said you were sorry is a good thing' he told her 'and I think that makes the star a little less black' Joey told her. 'And Santa said you were a good girl and he gave you a present, didn't he?'

'Yep' Evie said

'So I think that means that you get a gold star, don't you?' he asked her and Eve shrugged.

'And you helped Daddy shop for Christmas presents for mummy, you were very helpful and you ate your dinner like a good girl, didn't you?' he asked her. 'By yourself too'

'Yes' she nodded her head.

'I think those two things in themselves merit a gold star' he told her. 'I think Evie's deserves two gold stars, what do you think, mummy?' Joey asked her.

Lauren smiled and nodded her head 'I think she does too. Two gold stars for Evie'

'Doo god tars?' Eve looked up at her dada in awe.

'Two' he said peeling them off and handing them to her. She was grinning from ear to ear as she stuck them onto the chart.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

"She's gone down… I think she was exhausted…" Lauren said as she walked back into the room.

"I'm surprised we managed to pry her away from her gift from Santa…" Joey said, staring across the room at the snow globe, sitting anew beside the snow globe from Santa last year. "A second snow globe… at this rate we'll have to stop taking Evie to see Santa… we don't have enough room for many more snow globes…" he continued as his wife sat next to him. "I hate to think what he'll give Squiggle when we take them both next Christmas…"

"Who knew that our little girl would be the person that would melt Phil Mitchell…?"

"Did you hear what he said to her? About being the real Santa?" Joey said to her softly.

"I know… My heart broke when she said he wasn't the real Santa… I want her dreams to be real for as long as possible… I don't want her to stop believing in Father Christmas… or the tooth fairy… or even the bogie man… I want her childhood to be perfect…"

"I'll remind you of that when she wakes up screaming from the nightmares about the bogie man…" Joey said, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Both of our children will have perfect childhoods… we will make sure of it… I promise, babe…"

"I'm tired, Joe…" Lauren breathed as she rested her head on his chest. "It's been a long day…"

"We could call it a night…?" he suggested.

"I don't think I'm up to one of our usual 'early nights', Joe…"

"I wasn't suggesting anything like that… I know you're too tired for any of that… Let's go to bed while Squiggle is also sleeping… Anyway, Evie's bound to get us up early tomorrow…"

"Good thinking…" Joey got to his feet and helping her to her feet. Minutes later they were both lying in bed, Joey's arms wrapped around Lauren's body. "Happy sixth day of Christmas, Squiggle…" Joey murmured before he fell asleep, his hands resting on her bump.

 **AN: Who knew Phil Mitchell had a softer side… And poor Evie… doubting that Santa was the real one. Do you think she believed him? Send us a review and let us know what you think. Eastendersfan444 is back** **tomorrow** **ith the next chapter. Any ideas what film we might have chosen this time?**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Eastendersfan444 back again for another chapter. Hope you enjoy it.  
Chapter 7: The Christmas Star **

**Friday 20** **th** **December 2019**

Lauren woke early the next morning, mainly thanks to a certain little Squiggle who was apparently playing a game of stomping on mummy's bladder, once she was up her tiredness faded away and she knew if she went back to bed she would only be tossing and turning and waking Joey up. She spotted the bag of items, Joey had picked up for her at the shops yesterday, propped up against the sofa, she picked it up and carried it into the kitchen and tipped it out on the table. She looked at the items and put the kettle on. She had no idea how she was going to make Eve's outfit in one morning, she probably should've planned better. She frowned, deciding that it was Joey's fault because he wouldn't let her go anywhere by herself. Maybe she should go wake him up and get him to make the bloody outfit. The kettle clicked off and she made herself a cup of tea and carried it over to the table and sat down. She stared at the items in front of her and felt her annoyance and anger for Joey increasing by the minute.

She got up and walked quietly into the bedroom, getting some clothes for herself. She carried them through to the bathroom and turned on the shower, closing the bathroom door.

Once she was dressed, she walked into Eve's room. She was still asleep, Mister Pink was tucked under her arm, in the same position that she'd been in when she was put to bed, Lauren smiled and she walked into the kitchen, grabbing some cocktail sausages from the fridge bundling up the items from the bag and picking it up and leaving the flat.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey woke up, feeling someone patting his face, he groaned and frowned, brushing his hand over his cheek. He heard a little giggle and then the patting recommenced. He cracked an eye open and looked up into the amused face of Eve.

'Rake dada?' she asked him.

Joey nodded his head 'yes I'm awake' he mumbled 'what time it is?'

Eve blinked at him, she didn't know how to tell the time yet, she glanced at the bedside clock and contemplated for a moment. 'Time to rake up?' she questioned, tilting her head to one side 'Miter Pink is hungy, dada'

'Is he?' Joey asked her with a smile as he opened his eyes.

'Yep…see' the pink furry teddy was thrust into Joey's face. 'Hungy. He wants cake for beckfast' she told him.

'Does he now?' Joey pushed himself to sit up.

'I finks I haf da same pease' she said dryly. Joey laughed and he turned to look at Lauren, frowning when he found her side of the bed empty. 'Rere's mama?' Eve asked him

'I'm sure she's just in the bathroom' he said to her as he climbed out of bed. 'Come on then, let's get you and Mister Pink some breakfast' he said scooping his daughter off the bed, she squealed and giggled.

I's upide down, dada!'

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey was worried that Lauren had left the flat and as Eve and Mister Pink were eating their breakfast, he picked up the phone and dialled a number. He waited four rings before it was answered.

'Tanya? It's Joey…Is Lauren there?' he asked her.

'Yes she's here, we're working on the costume for Eve' Tanya said to him.

'Can I speak to her?' he asked.

'Um…not right now she's in the loo, I'll ask her to give you a call back. Is…is everything okay?' Tanya asked him.

'Yes, of course, everything is fine. If you could just ask Lauren to call me' he replied

'Of course I will' Tanya said. 'Talk to you later' she said before hanging up the phone. Lauren looked up at Tanya 'I thought you said Joey knew where you were?' she asked her daughter.

'I lied' Lauren replied looking back at the sewing in her hands.

'He sounded worried' Tanya replied.

'He sounded pissed because I left the flat by myself without telling him where I was going' she replied with a frown.

'Are you and Joey having problems?' Tanya asked her, walking back over to the table and sitting down.

'No' Lauren said and she sighed. 'He's just…smothering me. I get up to go to the bathroom and he wants to know where I'm going. I get up to go into the kitchen to make some tea or get something to eat and he tells me to sit down and he'll get it for me. He's doing all the housework, the cooking, getting Eve dressed, bathing her…I barely have to do anything' she replied.

'Sounds terrible' Tanya deadpanned.

'He won't even let me pick Eve up and when I do manage to do it he gives me this disapproving look' she added. 'And as soon as she comes over to me asking me to play with her, Joey tells her I'm too tired and I need to rest' she complained. 'Oh and I arranged to go shopping with Sarah and she called to confirm the date and time the other day and Joey was earwigging and he called her back and cancelled it behind my back!'

'Have you tried talking to him about it?' Tanya asked her.

'Sort of…we've had a couple of heated arguments…but Eve always interrupted us' she said 'You'd think by the way he's acting that I've never had a baby before. Part of me thinks if he could have this baby himself so I didn't have to, he would' she grumbled.

'You need to talk to him Lauren, tell him how you feel'

'I don't want to upset him. He's cut back his hours so he can spend more time with Eve and he wants to reduce them even further so he can spend time with Squiggle. So he doesn't miss all the milestones he missed with Eve… but I'm not sure it's the right thing for us…'

'Sounds to me as though Joey just wants to be there for you'

'I know that' Lauren nodded her head. 'I would've had this stupid costume finished days ago but he wouldn't even let me out of the house to go shopping' she complained. 'I haven't got any Christmas present for him either…' she trailed off as she felt her eyes fill with tears. 'I worry that this might tear us apart… That I might start hating him if he stops work to spend time with us.'

'I think your hormones are having a lot to do with how you're feeling right now, sweetheart' Tanya told her softly 'why don't you call Joey back? You might feel better'

'He'll only tell me I have to come home' she replied 'I'm not a child! I can come and go when and where I please' she said angrily. Tanya said nothing else, she knew she wasn't going to win this fight with her daughter. She picked up her part of the costume and started to sew.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

The two of them had finished the costume at lunch time and Tanya decided to take Lauren to the Vic for lunch. Tanya ordered whilst Lauren went to the loo, Tanya also took the time Lauren was away to send a quick text.

' _ **We're in the Vic for lunch. You and Eve should come. Don't be mad with her. Will explain later. Tanya'**_

Joey felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he pulled it out to find a text from Tanya. 'Come on Evie, we're going to meet mummy in the Vic for lunch' he called out to her. She raced into the room, Mister Pink clutched firmly in one hand and Elvis the Elf in the other. Joey narrowed his eyes at her.

'What are you doing with Elvis?' he asked his daughter suspiciously.

'Evis was weading Evie and Miter Pink a tory' Eve declared 'he's weally good, he does all the voices like mama does' she smiled at him 'Can Evis come to lunch too?' Joey smiled and nodded his head

'As he's been so good, yes he can' he told her 'let's find your shoes and coat shall we?' he asked her.

Eve nodded her head. Fifteen minutes later they were all headed off to the Vic. Joey wasn't sure which version of Lauren he was going to find in the Vic, her hormones were really playing havoc with her moods this time round, maybe this meant she was having a boy he pondered the idea to himself as he held the door open for Eve. She moved into the Vic, her eyes wide as she took everything in. She turned to look up at Joey. 'Rere's mama?' Eve asked him expectantly.

'She's here somewhere…look there's Granny Tanya' Joey spotted his mother-in-law sitting a table. 'So mummy can't be too far away, can she?' he asked her 'come on, let's go sit down' he said to her. She walked through the Vic and Joey picked her up to sit her on the seat next to Tanya. 'Where is she?' Joey asked her quietly.

'She's just popped to the loo' she said to him. 'She's a little hormonal today' she explained 'so go easy on her, okay, she's just feeling a little suffocated right now'

'By me?' Joey asked in surprise as he took a seat.

'By you, the flat, Eve, the baby, probably herself too' Tanya explained to him. 'She just needed a little space from everything and some help with the costume too' Joey looked up as Lauren came back towards the table, she paused as she saw him and then continued to move towards them. She slipped into the seat next to her mother. 'Better?' Tanya asked her.

'For now. I'll probably have to go again in five minutes, Squiggle is laying right on top of my bladder she said as she shifted in her seat.

'MAMA! MAMA!' Eve cried out loudly, climbing across Joey to get to Lauren.

'Hello you' Lauren smiled, pulling Eve into her arms for a hug. 'Have you been a good girl for daddy?' she asked her.

'I fink so' she said nodding her head 'Dada?' she turned her head to look at him and grinned at him 'I's been a good girl?'

'Always' Joey smiled back at her.

'And was daddy a good boy?' Lauren asked Eve. Eve's eyes widened at the question and she shook her head. 'No?' Lauren raised her eyebrows in surprise.

'Nope. Dada gave Evie and Miter Pink cake for beckfast' she told her mother.

'Did he now?' Lauren asked, turning to look at Joey, who'd turned pink.

'Mmhmm, it was yummy' Eve said to her. 'But dada get a back tar' she announced with a serious face, making Lauren smile.

'Why don't I go and get some drinks and grab some menus from the bar? I'm going to have a glass of wine' Tanya said standing up, 'Lauren?'

'I'll have an orange juice please' Lauren said, Tanya nodded and looked at Joey.

'Beer please' Joey replied

'And what about Eve?' Tanya asked them.

'I finks I's haf some rine as rell' she replied looking up at Tanya with her big brown eyes. Joey and Lauren exchanged glances.

'I don't think so' Joey said pulling Eve off Lauren's lap when he saw her flinch 'you are too little for wine, and I think you should have a Fruit Shoot instead' he told her. Eve pouted.

'But Evie wants rine like Ganny Tanya' she told him seriously.

'You don't even know what wine is, Missy. Evie's having a Fruit Shoot and that's final' Joey told her firmly as Tanya went to the bar. 'Now why don't you sit down and do some colouring for me, hey?' he said and he reached into the bag he'd brought with him and pulled out some crayons and a colouring book. Eve settled down beside him and started to colour. Joey turned to Lauren once their daughter was distracted. 'Is Squiggle active?' he asked her. Lauren nodded.

'Squiggle's wriggling around like a mad thing, I've peed about forty times already today' she told him with a sigh 'Seems to have a fascination with my bladder today' Joey reached out and placed his hand on Lauren's stomach and rubbed gently.

'Hey there…settle down you' Joey murmured softly 'Give mummy a break today' Lauren looked up at Joey in wonder as Squiggle suddenly stopped moving.

'How do you do that?' she asked him with a mixture of surprise and annoyance.

'It's daddy's touch' he replied with a smile. 'How are you?' he asked her softly. 'Your mum said you needed some space' he glanced at Eve to make sure she was still distracted by the colouring book.

'Better' she said nodding her head 'I'm sorry I just left like that…I woke up and I couldn't sleep and I knew I had to make the costume…and I felt so angry with you…inexplicably' she added with a frown.

'Babe, you don't have to explain' Joey told her softly 'a note would've been nice though' he told her. 'So I didn't worry…maybe I have been a little over bearing lately, I just don't want you to do too much is all, and I want to help out more' he told her.

'I know, and you are helping Joey. It's just my hormones seem getting to me a bit more this time and I'm bigger than I was with Eve. I feel like a blimp'

'You're beautiful, sexy' he told her 'and I love you… more than I ever thought I could love anyone'

Lauren smiled at him 'I love you too, Joey' she replied softly. Lauren leant towards him and Joey kissed her softly.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren waited nervously in her seat in the front row at the community centre, Joey took her hand in his and he smiled 'I'm sure Eve is going to be fine' he told her, squeezing her hand. 'She's knows the rhyme off by heart'

'I know that but what if she decides she doesn't want to sing it when she's supposed to' Lauren asked him nervously.

'She will' Joey replied. Don't worry' he squeezed her hand again. 'You saw how excited she was and she gets to stand next to Joseph' he told her. Lauren nodded her head and gave him a small smile but he knew she was still anxious. 'It's starting' he whispered. Lauren sneaked a peek at him, seeing how excited he was and feeling bad for being worried. The play started and Lauren watched, waiting for the moment when Eve would come on the stage.

Ten minutes later, Eve's friends from her age range came on stage, Eve and Joseph standing in the middle of the group. Lauren held her breath, hoping that Eve wouldn't be put off seeing her mummy and daddy sitting in the front row but she needn't have worried. Eve and her friends sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and she looked so cute in the little star costume she and Granny Tanya had made for her. In fact all the kids looked cute. When the song ended the kids took a bow and peeled off stage one by one, except for Eve, she waved at Joey and Lauren and walked forward to the edge of the stage. Joey could see the play group workers trying to coax Eve back to them but she wasn't paying attention. 'Dada! Mama!' she called out to them both, holding her hands up in the air. Joey got up and rushed to the stage, lifting her off, shooting apologetic looks to the staff before he carried her back to his seat. 'Did you see me?' she asked them both excitedly 'did you see me?'

'Yes we saw you Evie, you were brilliant!' Joey told her 'you sang like an angel'

'I's not anges dada, I's a star' she frowned at him confused. Lauren giggled at the look of despair on Eve's face.

'You're our little star' Lauren smiled at her, Eve's face lit up and she grinned.

 ***JL*JL** ***JL*JL***

Lauren smiled as she knelt on the floor beside Joey, Eve was leaning against Lauren, sucking her thumb. 'Okay so it's time for the stars' Lauren said. 'I think we need to start with Evie' Lauren said 'Daddy I think our little star deserves a gold star today' she said to him 'would you agree?'

'Without question' Joey nodded his head. 'Evie here you go' he held the sticker out to her.

'Dada do it. Evie tired' she mumbled around her thumb.

'Okay baby' Joey smiled and he stuck the star under Eve's name. 'So Elvis?' Joey asked her.

'He weaded me and Miter Pink a tory' she said.

'That's true he did' Joey nodded his head 'and he was very good when we were in the Vic today too, so are we thinking a gold star for Elvis?'

'Pease dada' Eve said softly, she watched as Joey peeled off a gold sticker and put it on the chart.

'Now what about Mr Jingle and Miss Tinsel?' he looked at Lauren.

'I haven't seen them today' she said shaking her head, 'I have no idea what they've got up to today'

'I think with their past behaviour it's safe to say that they're probably up to no good' he said 'and the fact we can't find them speaks volumes. So I think they have a black star' he said peeling off a black star and adding it to the chart.

'Mama and dada's efs are vewy bad' Eve said with a smile.

'Yes, baby, they are' Lauren smiled and she kissed the top of Eve's head. 'I think it's someone's bed time' she said softly as Eve yawned.

'Dada take me' she murmured.

'Okay sleep tight little star' Lauren smiled as she handed her over to Joey.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren lay down on the sofa with the TV on and started to watch a film. Lauren looked up at him as he came into the room 'did she go down okay?' she asked him as she shifted on the sofa so he could get on behind her.

'Yeah she did. Took a little while to get her costume off but when I promised her she could wear it again another day she finally agreed but she wouldn't take the face paint off. I'll change the bed and wash the sheets in the morning' he said off Lauren's look.

'Thanks' she told him 'She was so good today…her little face when she was singing. And did you see her holding onto Joseph's hand? She is so smitten with that little boy and he is with her' Lauren said to him.

'They did look cute together' Joey admitted to his wife. Lauren turned over as gracefully as she could so she could face Joey. 'But she's still not going to be allowed out on a date until she's 30' he told her.

Lauren giggled 'and if my dad had said that about me would you have just accepted that?' she asked him.

He stared at her for a few minutes and shook his head 'no' he replied truthfully 'It wouldn't have stopped me…nothing would've stopped me…nothing did stop me' he told her softly, reaching out and brushing her hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. He moved forward and kissed her softly. 'I knew I wanted you and I was going to have you and I knew what we had was worth fighting for…I just had to wait a little while for you to figure that out too'

Lauren smiled 'I'm glad you waited' she said to him.

'Me too' he whispered kissing her again.

'I can't believe Eve asked for wine at lunch' Lauren said quietly, looking down.

'She was just repeating what your mum asked for' he told her softly 'it's nothing to worry about'

'I'm a recovering alcoholic, Joey'

'I know that' he nodded his head.

'What if she grows up with the predisposition too?' she asked him worriedly. Joey could see the fear and worry in her eyes, the guilt on her face.

'What if she doesn't'?' he replied 'we talk to her when she's older and we explain things to her and we make sure she has a happy childhood, we'll always be there for her' he told her 'Squiggle too' he said softly. 'We're not going to make the same mistakes your parents made… or the ones my parents made either…'

Lauren looked up at him 'I love you, you know that right?' she asked him 'I know I've been a complete bitch sometimes…' she trailed off 'I love you' she repeated softly.

Joey smiled 'I know that' he told her 'and I also know you're very hormonal right now and I make exceptions for you because of those hormones and because I know you love me' Lauren's eyes filled with tears at his words and he smiled at her as he wiped one of her tears away.

'Do you know what I want?' she asked him softly.

'What?' he asked her 'you want cocktail sausages and we're all out right?' he said 'I'll be as quick as I can' he told her and started to move.

'No, I don't want cocktail sausages' she shook her head as she grabbed his arm.

'You've got another craving?' he asked her 'whatever it is I'll get it for you. However far I have to go' he said with a smile.

Lauren shook her head 'I don't have another craving. I don't want cocktail sausages…I want you' she told him. It took Joey a few minutes for her words to register with his brain. You want me?' he echoed.

Lauren smiled 'I want you…I want sex with you' she told him.

'You want sex?' he asked her 'with me, right now?'

'Right now' she nodded.

'Oh… OH!' he exclaimed. He knew that Lauren had been feeling tired and on a few occasions when they'd gone to bed to have an "early night" but Lauren had fallen asleep before they'd even started, leaving Joey feeling a little frustrated, but he understood and he didn't take his frustrations out on her. He knew that the chances were high that this would end before it even started…still he wasn't going to turn down the chance to have sex with her. He loved sex with her. He had a serious hard on the moment he realised she wanted sex with him. He climbed off the sofa and he held out his hands, Lauren slipped hers into his and he helped her up off the sofa and led her into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. He pulled her into his arms as he kissed her. He stripped them quickly and helped Lauren onto the bed 'How do you want to do this?' he asked her.

'On top….me on top' she told him urgently.

'Okay' he said laying down on his back, he reached out for her hands and he held them as she positioned herself on his lap. He moved his hands to his hips and as one of her hands clamped around his engorged cock, he almost came there and then. Lauren raised herself up off his lap and lowered herself into this cock, she hissed in pleasure as he sank inside her. 'Oooh! Joey!' she moaned softly.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Later the two of them lay in the bed and Lauren sighed 'I think we woke the baby, Squiggle's feisty now' Lauren said softly.

'Oops' he said, and ran his hand over her stomach 'Sorry…'

'You don't sound the least bit sorry' she said with a smile.

'Well, I had sex so…I'm never sorry when I have sex' he told her. He moved down on the bed and he pressed his lips to Lauren's naked bump. 'Happy Seventh day of Christmas Squiggle, daddy's not sorry he woke you up' Squiggle rewarded him with a kick in the mouth and Lauren giggled when he pulled away from her, shock on his face. She ran her fingers through his hair and rolled onto her back she pushed his head lower, her intentions made clear.

'I warned you Squiggle was feeling feisty tonight' she told him.

'As is someone else I could mention' Joey replied, raising his eyes to look at her. 'Again?' he asked her.

'Please' she nodded her head. Joey grinned when he heard his wife gasp as he kissed her inner thigh a moment later, he had a feeling this was going to be a long night.

 **AN: Well I think Lauren woke up on the grumpy side of the bed this morning, I think Joey not letting her out is making go a little bit stir crazy…and what about Evie asking for wine with her dinner! Leave us a review back tomorrow with another chapter from 74crazychick.**


	10. Chapter 10

**74CrazyChick back again… with another chapter… and another festive film… an older, classic one this time…**

 **Chapter 8: White Christmas**

 **Saturday 21** **st** **December 2019**

Joey walked out of the bedroom towards Lauren and Eve as he tucked his wallet into his pocket. 'Okay I will be as quick as I can' Joey said bending his head to kiss Eve and then Lauren 'are you sure this is all we need?' he asked her as he looked at the grocery list in his hand.

'That's all I can think of' Lauren replied with a smile.

'Miter Pink needs some weets' Eve said casually. Lauren looked at Joey and grinned and nodded her head.

'Okay I'll be back soon' Joey said again.

'All right Evie, let's have a look at your advent calendar whilst daddy's at the shops, shall we?' Lauren asked her.

'YES PEASE MAMA!' Eve squealed loudly.

'Inside voice please, baby' Lauren said softly.

'Sowwy mama, I's just cited' Eve said as she scrambled up and ran over to the calendar 'rot nummer today mama?'

'What number did we open yesterday?' Lauren asked her.

Eve stared at the calendar and she chewed on her bottom lip 'I finks it ras nummer wenty' she said

Lauren beamed 'that's right Eve it was, so today we open number…?'

Eve blinked and shook her head 'I no know' Eve said,

'Number twenty-one' Lauren said. 'So let's find the drawer that says 21. It will have a 2 and a 1 on it' she said. Eve looked at all the drawers and she pointed to one.

'Dat run?' she asked, tilting her head to look at her mummy.

'Yep, that's the right one. Open it gently, remember?' she reminded her.

Eve's tongue was sticking out as she pulled the drawer open and she reached inside with her little hand, she frowned. 'Dere's nuffink dere, mama' Eve said, she pulled her hand out of the drawer and she turned to look at Lauren 'dawer emty' she said, her eyes wide.

Lauren frowned 'are you sure?' she asked her.

'Uh-huh' Eve nodded her head.

'Let mama see' Lauren said and she moved forward and looked in the drawer. 'That's odd' she frowned. 'It is empty' Lauren was certain she'd filled up every single drawer with stickers and a chocolate before the 1st December, it didn't make sense that one was empty. She pushed the drawer shut and looked at Eve 'I'm sorry sweetie'

'No Wudy sticker?' Eve asked her. Her eyes filled with tears.

'No, no Wudy sticker' Lauren shook her head.

'Evie a bad girl?' she asked before covering her face with her hands and bursting into tears.

'Oh…no, Evie, don't cry. You're a good girl' Lauren said getting on to her knees and pulling Eve into her arms, 'baby, don't cry' she rubbed Eve's back as she sobbed in her arms.

'Wee wee, mama' Eve hiccupped.

Lauren got up and carried her into the bathroom and a few minutes later, Eve was sitting on the potty. Lauren pulled some sheets off the toilet roll and she wiped Eve's tears away and wiped her nose. 'LOOK MAMA!' Eve pointed at the mirror, Lauren turned and saw Elvis leaning against the mirror and a Rudolph sticker pressed onto the surface. 'Evis took my Wudy! Bad Evis. Make Evie Ky'

'He is a bad elf' Lauren said.

'I's done mama'

'Good girl' Lauren smiled, she picked her up off the potty and wiped her dry, pulled up her knickers and leggings and tipped the contents of the potty down the toilet and flushed it. 'Let's wash your hands and then we'll get the sticker' Lauren picked Eve up, carrying her over to the sink. 'Evis eated my weetie' Eve said pointing into the sink at the discarded wrapping paper. 'BAD EVIS! BACK TAR FOR EVIS' she frowned.

Lauren picked the wrapper up and put it in her pocket and turned on the tap. Once Eve's hands were washed and dried, Lauren peeled off the sticker and carried Eve into her bedroom, setting her down on the bed. 'Okay here's your sticker, why don't you go and put it on the picture?' she asked her. Eve smiled, taking the sticker and jumping off the bed, she stumbled slightly but stayed on her feet, turning to grin at Lauren, she pressed the sticker on the wall and smiled as she admired her stickers.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren left Eve colouring on the floor of the lounge and went into the bedroom to check if Joey has left anything that needed to be washed on the bedroom floor as he was prone to do on occasion. She was shocked to see Mr Jingles and Miss Tinsel sitting on her bedside table with some white powder, and a couple of bottles of open beer. It was quite clear what the two of them had been doing. She shook her head and picked up Joey's discarded underwear and carried them through to the kitchen and added them to the watching machine and set it going.

When Lauren came back into the room, Eve stood at the window, her nose pressed up against the glass. "Come away from the window, Evie…" Lauren called over to her.

"I's looking for dada…"

"He's just nipped to the shop… he's gone to get some cocktail sausages for mummy and Squiggle…"

"It's snowing, mama… God sook us and made it snow…" Eve said.

"It is?" Lauren said, slowly getting up and walking over to where Eve was standing. "Wow, that's a lot of snow…" she said.

"Do you fink dada rill be 'kay?" Eve asked.

"I'm sure he will be, baby…" Lauren reassured her. "Maybe… if it stops snowing… we could go out with daddy later… see if we can make snow angels like we did last year…"

"Snow anges…?" Eve said, smiling as she remembered doing it last year with her mummy and daddy.

Both of them watched out of the window as the snow continued to fall. It was getting quite heavy now… and settling… which Eve thought was fantastic but Lauren was thinking about what would happen if they had to get to the hospital for any reason… not that she was expecting to go into labour early… if this pregnancy was anything like when she was carrying Eve, Squiggle would arrive on the due date so she had almost two weeks left to go… but you never knew with these things… So anyway, the snow concerned her slightly but she was sure Joey would cope. She smiled as she saw a familiar person trudging through the snow, back towards the flat.

"Who's that, Evie?" she asked.

"DADA!" Evie shrieked, bouncing up and down on the chair she was standing on, almost bouncing out of her mummy's arms.

"Careful, Evie…" Lauren said, grabbing a tighter hold of the bouncing girl.

"He's here… he's here…!" she cried out. They both waited, hearing the front door open and close again. It was a few seconds until the door to the flat opened. Eve threw herself off the chair to the floor, pulling herself from Lauren's hands and making her mummy's heart leap into her throat as she flew across the room, running full pelt into her daddy's legs, almost knocking him off his feet. Lauren smiled as she saw Eve try to wrap her little arms around her daddy's legs, not with much success.

"Careful, Evie… Daddy's cold and wet… go and stand with mummy for me while I take my coat and shoes off…" he said.

"But dada…" Eve said.

"Now, Evie…" he said firmly. She lifted her head at the tone of his voice, her bottom lip quivering as

she saw the frown on his face. She immediately stepped away from him, looking almost scared of him. She turned and walked quickly back over to Lauren, holding her arms in the air, wanting to be lifted up onto her lap, which Lauren did. Eve leant against Lauren's chest, her thumb slipping into her mouth as she began to sniffle. Lauren comforted her as best she could, watching Joey take off his coat and shoes. She could see he was wet and cold. He hung up his coat and put his shoes near the door. He grabbed the bag he'd put down when he got home and opened it, pulling an item free. He left the bag on the side in the kitchen and then walked over to where they were sat. He held the plastic container of cocktail sausages out towards her and Lauren took them from him while he reached for Eve. She shook her head, her curls bouncing around her head as she sucked on her thumb.

"Come on, Evie… Daddy wants a big hug from his little girl…"

"Go to daddy, sweetheart…" Lauren encouraged her.

"Dada mean…" she mumbled around her thumb.

Joey crouched down, "Daddy was just cold and wet and didn't want you to get cold and wet too… we don't want you getting poorly like you were the other year, do we?" he said.

"No, dada…" she said.

"So can I have a hug?" he said softly.

Eve shifted on her mummy's lap and held her arms out towards her daddy, leaning over to him. She almost toppled off Lauren's lap before Joey grabbed her but he swung her into his arms and he hugged her against her chest. "Dada's cold…" Evie said.

"It's cold outside, sweetheart…" Joey told her, "That was why I didn't want you near me earlier…" he added. "Because I was even colder then… and wet from the snow as well…"

"Good finking, dada…" Eve said, nodding her head.

"Let's all of us go and sit in the lounge, eh? Somewhere a bit warmer…" He held his hand out towards Lauren, taking her hand so the three of them could walk through to the lounge. They sat down, Evie sitting on her daddy's lap. She leant against his body, curled up in a little ball as she sucked on her thumb. "No thumb, Evie…" Joey said, trying to pull her thumb from her mouth. Evie shook her head.

"She's fine, Joe…"

"She needs to get out of the habit." He told his wife firmly.

"It's just once…"

"No, she needs to learn, babe."

"She's only two and a half… and it's not like she does it all the time…" Lauren reasoned. She pulled away from him and got to her feet, walking across the room to Eve's bedroom. She returned a minute later, a dummy in one hand and Mister Pink in the other. She held the dummy out towards Eve, who pulled her thumb from her mouth and took the dummy from her, slipping it into her mouth. She then reached out for Mister Pink and took him from her mummy too, hugging him tightly under her arm. Lauren sat back down again, "Happy now?" she said, slightly tetchily.

"Yes, babe." Joey said, kissing the top of her head softly as he put his arm around her shoulders.

The room was silent for quite a while until Eve spoke, "Dada, can we go and make snow anges later?" she asked softly, taking the dummy out of her mouth temporarily.

"I don't know, poppet… It's snowing prettily heavily out there… and the pavements are really slippy…" he said.

"But dada… da snow anges…" she said sadly.

"I know, Evie… but I don't want you or mummy to hurt yourself outside…"

"Daddy's right, darling, we can't go outside if he thinks it's dangerous for us…"

"I's be good, dada… I won't be dangous…" Evie said, looking up at her daddy with little puppy dog eyes that just reminded him of his wife.

"Why don't we see what it's like later…?" Joey said, "and we'll see… okay?"

"Okay…" Eve said, putting her dummy back in her mouth and snuggling against her daddy.

"I think I might have some of these…" Lauren said, opening the packet of cocktail sausages that Joey had got her from the shop. She moaned as she ate the first one, absorbing the taste of it and she was more than aware of her husband turning his head towards her, a heated look on his face.

"Why don't you go and play with some of your toys, Evie…" Joey said, strain in his voice.

"'Kay dada…" Eve said, shifting on her daddy's lap and causing him to groan softly. She toddled across the room, ending up crouching in front of her snow globes, staring at them both in wonder.

"Sake dem, dada…" she asked, turning her head to look at him.

"Okay, sweetheart…" he said, getting to his feet and walking over to her. He picked them up one at a time and shook them, placing them back on the side for Eve to look at.

"Now it's snowing there too, dada…" she said, smiling at him before turning her attention back to the globes.

'Yes it is' he smiled 'oh I have something for you' he said and he reached into his pocket and he pulled out a small bag of chocolate buttons and he opened them for her and gave them to her. 'I think I heard Mister Pink say that he wanted these for you' he told her with a smile.

'Fankoo dada' Eve beamed at him.

Joey walked back over to Lauren and sat back next to her. "Thank you, Joe…" she said softly.

"What are you thanking me for?" he asked.

"Just for being you…" she said, tilting her head back and kissing him tenderly. "And for getting me these sausages…"

"Anything for you and Squiggle…" Joey whispered. They turned their attention to Eve, watching her as her and Mister Pink played happily together. Life felt pretty good right about now.

*JL*JL*JL*JL*

Many hours later it had finally stopped snowing and the family were getting ready to go out. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Joey asked Lauren.

"Evie won't be happy unless we both do this…" Lauren replied, "but yes, I do want to do this…"

"Well, take it steady out there, okay?" Joey said.

There was the sound of running footsteps and Eve appeared in the room, running much faster than she should be. "Found dem…" she said, waving her wellies in the air as she grinned at them when she appeared in the doorway. She wasn't looking where she was going though and managed to trip over Elvis the Elf, falling quickly to the floor. The tears began instantly, her plaintive cry filling the room. Joey bent down, picking her up from the floor and cradling her in his arms, standing back up again.

"It's okay, Evie… mummy and daddy are here and will make everything better again…" Lauren took the Olaf wellies from her, placing them on the kitchen worktop, turning back to her crying daughter. She took her hands in her own, inspecting them to make sure there weren't any boo boos. She then bent down and kissed them both over and over.

"All better, Evie…" She whispered softly. She then turned her attention to Eve's knees, checking them over and finding nothing wrong. "Shall we put your boots on now?" she asked, watching Joey as he wiped away the tears on her face, her crying finally fading. She nodded her head, her breath shaky as she inhaled. Joey turned and sat her on the worktop while Lauren retrieved the wellies and then slid them onto her feet. "Maybe daddy can grab your coat so we can put it on?" Lauren said.

Joey smiled, "Of course I can." He picked up her coat, also grabbing her hat, scarf and gloves and Lauren began to put them on Eve until she was all bundled up. Once she was done, Lauren and Joey got themselves ready. Joey lifted Eve off the worktop, putting her on the floor next to Lauren. "Now you hold onto mummy's or daddy's hands outside, okay?" he said, "No running off… you stay with us…"

"Evie be good, dada…" the little girl whispered.

"Okay." Joey said. He opened the door to the flat and Lauren and Eve followed behind him. He stopped after swinging it open. "Wow… that is a lot of snow…" he murmured. He glanced back over his shoulder and made a quick decision. "Okay, Evie, daddy's going to carry you…" he said, bending down and picking her up in his arms.

"Evie ralk…" she said.

"Evie, the snow is too deep for little girls to walk in… I'll put you down in a while, okay?" Eve stared at his face and after a few seconds she nodded her head. Joey turned his attention to Lauren, "Take care, babe… Step in my footsteps, okay?"

"Okay." Lauren said. They ventured slowly outside and Lauren breathed in as she looked around the square. Whereas a few days earlier it hadn't looked very festive, it was now screaming Christmas at full volume. The snow was several inches deep so she did as Joey said and followed in his footsteps as they walked down the street. They made their way slowly and steadily towards the park they'd gone to the year before. The park was empty, clearly they were the only people mad enough to have made their way out.

Joey turned to Lauren once they had found somewhere and he moved away from them both. Eve started to follow him but he stopped her, "Stay with mummy, Evie…" he said. She took a couple of steps backwards and Lauren cradled the back of her head to stop her moving further backwards. They both watched as Joey sat on the snow and then laid down. He smiled at the two of them and then began to create a snow angel, cheered on by Lauren and Eve. He sat back up once he was done and then climbed back up and went over to where they were standing. "Your turn, babe…" he said to his wife. Lauren walked over carefully, still following Joey's footsteps in the snow and then she lay down on the snow, not quite sure how she would get up again but not worrying about that now. A smile graced her face as her arms and legs started to move in the snow, making her angel appear a short distance from Joey's. She pushed herself to sit up and then looked up at Joey. Fortunately, Joey came to her rescue and he walked over, putting his feet in front of hers and then taking her hands and tugging her gently to her feet. He helped her back across the snow, over to Eve.

"Your turn now, Evie… do you remember what to do?" Lauren asked. Eve nodded and she walked

softly across the grass and sat down, sitting between the two angels her parents had formed. Joey and Lauren watched as she flapped her arms and legs around, such a smile of glee on her face as she made her angel. A minute later she sat up and then she was back before them, grinning up at their faces.

"Well done, Evie… that's perfect…" Joey said, "We should get home again now…"

"No, dada…" Eve said, frowning up at him and looking as if he was a complete idiot.

"Why not, Evie?" Lauren asked.

"We need to do baby's snow anges …" Eve declared, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But Squiggle isn't here yet, Evie…" Joey said.

"Baby is part of our family dough… we need to do a snow anges for da baby…" Eve said.

Lauren glanced at Joey, tears welling in her eyes as her emotions climbed. "She's right, Joe…" she whispered.

"So how do we do it… do you have any ideas, Evie?"

"We's can do it togever, dada…" Evie said. She reached for his hand and was soon tugging him back towards their creations. Their backs were towards Lauren and she couldn't see what they were doing, other than the fact they were in the gap that Eve had left between her angel and the one Lauren had created. Clearly Eve had been thinking about the snow angel for squiggle when she went to do her own. They were beside her again after a couple of minutes and Lauren looked at the snow, smiling when she saw a small angel there.

"It's beautiful, Evie…" she whispered.

"Dada elped…" she said, her face flushed from both the embarrassment at her mummy's praise and from the cold.

"Squiggle likes it too…" Lauren told her. She reached for Eve's hand and then pressed it against her bump, watching her face as Squiggle kicked against her belly.

"Wow!" Eve gasped. She moved closer and then she kissed the bump, where her hand had just been pressed and again Squiggle kicked. She pulled back, giggling as her hand touched her mouth. "Baby's doing tar dumps gain…" she said.

"It feels like it, doesn't it?" Lauren said. Joey bent down and lifted Eve in his arms, kissing her cheek hard.

"Come on, you two… time to get home…" he said. He leant over and kissed Lauren too, lifting his hand and brushing her hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ear as it hung under the hat she was wearing.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

'Okay, little miss, what is it time to do now?' Joey asked Eve.

'Tar chart' Eve said and she looked up at him.

'Yep that's right. Are you ready?'

'Evie weady' Eve said and she took a deep breath and pushed herself up off the sofa and walked over to the star chart, Joey and Lauren joined her and Lauren knelt down on the floor by the chart.

'Okay, so shall we start with Mr Jingles and Miss Tinsel?' Joey asked 'Mummy?' he looked at her expectantly.

'Two black stars' she said 'and we will discuss the reasons why when little ears have gone to bed' Lauren told him.

Joey smirked 'two black stars it is' Joey said, peeling off the stickers and placing them on the chart. 'what about Elvis'

'Doo back tars, dada….no tee back tars' Eve said to him firmly.

'Three black stars. Really?' Joey looked at up Lauren raising his eyebrows in surprise. 'What did Elvis do to deserve three black stars?'

'I's don't ront to say' Evie told him, pushing both her hands behind her back and swinging from side to side. 'He's just bin bad'

Lauren licked her lips. 'He tripped you up didn't he?' Lauren asked her and Eve nodded 'and he ate your sweet out of your calendar and stuck Rudolph on the mirror. He made you cry twice today, hasn't he?' Eve nodded her head. 'So I think three black stars is the least he deserves today' Lauren said.

Joey looked up at her and she could see the guilt in his eyes for his prank this morning and he nodded his head and peeled off the three stickers and stuck them on the chart. 'And then we have Evie. I think that we already know that Evie has been a god girl today, but how many stars do we give her?' he asked his daughter. 'Mummy?' he looked up at Lauren.

'I think Evie gets three gold stars today' she said to Joey 'because she has been a very good little girl all day'

'Did you hear that Eve? You get three gold stars today'

'I do?' Eve asked 'Tee?'

'Three, count them with daddy' Joey said to her.

'Run…doo…tee.' She counted as Joey put the stickers on the chart.

'Clever girl' Joey smiled and he turned round and hugged her tightly. 'Okay baby, it's time for bed. Do you want me or mummy to take you?' he asked her.

'You pease'

'All right sweetheart, kiss mama night night'

Eve turned to Lauren and hugged her tightly 'nunight mama, nunight baby, luvoo'

'We love you too, sweet dreams, my baby girl' she told her with a smile.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

'So, Mr Jingle and Miss Tingles were drinking beer and doing lines of cocaine on my bedside table this morning' Lauren said as Joey climbed into bed.

'They were?' he asked her feigning surprise and she nodded her head.

'Mmhmm, I really don't think those two are ever going to be ready to be set loose with children. I mean they're having sex, drinking and doing drugs' she said 'Santa has sent us the worst elves ever'

Joey giggled, 'I think he has' he said to her 'I wonder what else they will get up to'

'I guess we'll have to wait and see' Lauren said with a small smile.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

"Happy eighth day of Christmas, Squiggle… hopefully next year you'll get to make your own snow angel…" Joey whispered, much later that day as the two of them lay in bed. His hand was brushing over his wife's bump softly.

"Mmm, what did you say?" Lauren murmured.

"Nothing, babe… you go back to sleep…" he said, kissing the side of her head.

 **A/N:**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Eastendersfan444 back again with another chapter. Enjoy.**

 **Chapter 9: Frosty The Snowman**

 **Sunday 22** **nd** **December 2019**

Joey woke up to find he was the only one in the bed. He frowned, turning his head to look at the clock, it was 8:00am. He ran his hand over his face and climbed out of bed. He was surprised Lauren was up, she hadn't had the best night's sleep last night, then again neither had he. She'd woken him up a few times with her tossing and turning. He assumed the baby had decided to wake up in the early hours of the morning and had made Lauren uncomfortable. Not for the first time Joey wondered what it would be like to be pregnant, how it felt when the baby moved, sure he could feel it if he put his hand on Lauren's belly but it must feel different for Lauren. He climbed out of bed and walked over to the door. Noticing his robe was missing, he smiled shaking his head. Lauren had taken to wearing his robe instead of hers lately as it was warmer and fitted her better than hers did at the moment. He walked into the lounge and saw his girls on the sofa. Eve's thumb in her mouth, one hand clutching Mister Pink who was resting on Lauren's belly.

'Morning girls' he said with a smile.

Eve's head turned towards her daddy at the sound of his voice. Her mouth opened wide and her thumb popped out as she giggled. Lauren smirked as she took a sip of coffee. 'Dada!' Eve exclaimed 'your face!'

'What's wrong with my face?' Joey frowned.

Lauren bit her bottom lip to stop herself from giggling, Eve eased herself off the sofa and she ran over to Joey, he crouched down to give her a cuddle but she stared at his face. She reached up and traced a circle around each of his eyes and then over his top lip and his chin. 'I's fink efs haf been naughty, dada' Eve told him worriedly.

'Have they?' he asked her and she nodded her head, he glanced at Lauren who was avoiding looking at him, her mouth hidden by her cup. 'Well I think daddy should go and have a look'

'Evie come' she said wrapping her arms around his neck. He picked her up with another glance at Lauren and carried her through to the bathroom. He looked in the mirror and his eyes widened in surprise. 'See dada. Efs been naughty'

'Yes they have' he nodded his head. The "Elves" had drawn on Joey's face with what looked like a black marker pen. He now sported a pair of glasses, a moustache and a goatee beard. 'Daddy's going to put you down to see if he can get this off' he told Eve and he stood her on the floor. He ran the hot tap and poured some soap into his hands and he washed his face. He grabbed the towel and he rubbed his face dry and then looked in the mirror. It hadn't washed off and to top it off he was now covered in glitter too. Eve giggled.

'Dada parkly' she told him. 'Dada pity'

He looked at the towel and saw that was encased in the stuff. 'Fuck!' he snapped.

Eve gasped, her little hand covering her mouth and she ran through to the lounge. 'Mama! Mama! Dada said a bad fing!' she told her mummy.

'Did he?' Lauren said putting her cup down as Evie climbed onto the sofa.

'Dada's koss' Eve said her bottom lip jutting out into a pout.

'Daddy's a drama queen' Lauren told her daughter. 'Stay here, baby, watch Rudolph'

'WUDY!' Eve exclaimed and instantly became transfixed on the TV.

Lauren pushed herself up off the sofa and went to find her husband, she pushed open the bathroom door 'well Evie's learnt a new word' she said to him.

'This doesn't come off! What did you use?' he asked her 'a permanent marker pen?' he scowled at her.

'I didn't do it, the Elves did' Lauren told him with a smirk.

'Lauren, I look like an idiot!' he told her as his eyes met hers in the mirror. 'I can't walk around like this' he frowned at her.

'I'm not the one who brought the elves home' she reminded him 'and Santa did say Miss Tinsel and Mr Jingles could be naughty sometimes' she told him. 'You're lucky I woke up when I did. I caught Mr Jingles with a razor and a pair of scissors, I hate to think what he planned to do. I think you're lucky getting off this lightly'

'This is lightly? Seriously?' Joey snapped as he turned to look at her. 'Have you looked at my face?'

'I think it's a very handsome face' Lauren replied softly, moving forward and kissing him softly. 'I'm sorry I kept you awake last night. Squiggle was doing somersaults and star jumps' she told him. 'I thought you could use a lie in this morning' she told him. Joey sighed.

'Is Squiggle quiet now?' he asked her, pressing his hands to her bump, he could feel the baby moving beneath his palms and he smiled awestruck.

'Not really' Lauren shook her head 'But Squiggle tends to calm down when Evie is close by' Joey smiled at her. 'I had to stop her coming in to wake you up at 6:00am this morning, she's so excited about building a snowman with you' Lauren told him with a smile. She reached for some make-up remover and poured it onto a piece of cotton wool and she rubbed at his chin. 'She wants Mister Pink to help too' she said to him 'Oh and dad called, he's picking up the last of Evie's presents tomorrow and he'll bring it over on Christmas day. There' she said as she looked at his face. Joey turned and looked in the mirror and he saw the black had gone. 'Did you really think I'd use a permanent marker pen?' she asked him.

Joey looked at her 'No. Of course not' he shook his head.

'Miss Tinsel and Mr Jingles weren't the only ones who played with pens last night. There's a picture on Evie's bedroom wall that she insists Elvis did' Lauren told him with a smile.

'I didn't do that' Joey said shaking his head and then he sighed, 'you know next year I think we'll give the Elves a miss. They seem to be more trouble than they're worth!' he told her softly. Lauren smiled and nodded her head.

'I think that might be a good idea' she told him as she slid her arms around his neck 'It does seem to give Evie an excuse to be naughty and blame it on Elvis' she told him. 'But Miss Tinsel and Mr Jingles have been amusing' she told him. 'Maybe we should have them next year too?' she asked him.

'I already have an idea about next year' he said with a smile. 'And no, you're going to have to wait until next Christmas to find out what I am planning' he told her.

'I trust you' she told him 'I'm sure whatever it is I'll love it' she reached up to kiss him again. 'You should take a shower and I'll go fix you some breakfast and then you promised a certain little girl a snowman' she said softly.

'Okay' Joey replied. 'Thanks babe'

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

'Come on Evie, let's you get ready whilst daddy gets dressed' Lauren told Eve. She took her hand and they walked through to Eve's bedroom. As soon as they were in her room Eve let go of Lauren's hand and ran towards her bed, launching herself off the floor and landing on the duvet cover. 'Be careful Evie!' Lauren exclaimed as her daughter narrowly missed bumping her head on the wall. 'I's making sow anges, mama' she told her with a giggle.

Lauren smiled at her as she pulled out a warm jumper for her to wear and some thick socks. 'So I see. Sit up so mummy can dress you up warm' she told her as she walked over to the bed and knelt down in front of it.

Eve scrambled to a sitting position and Lauren pulled the jumper over her head and then pulled her arms through. Lauren changed Eve's socks next. 'Okay, let's go find your coat and boots' Lauren said to her. Eve was up off the bed and darting through to the lounge before Lauren was up off her knees. She got up with great difficulty and then padded through after Eve.

'Urry up, mama. Dada's eady' she scolded her mummy who was being far too slow for her liking.

'Hold your horses, missy!' Lauren smiled back at her. Joey got Eve's coat off the hook and he handed in to Lauren. 'Thanks' she said looking up at him, Lauren knelt down again in front of Eve and she put her coat on her, zipping and then buttoning it up. 'Feet' Lauren said. Eve held onto her mummy's shoulders as she slipped her Frozen welly's on her. 'Just your hat, scarf and gloves to go' Lauren said to her. Joey held his hand out to her as she struggled to get up, 'thanks babe' she glanced at him, gratefully.

'Okay, one hat' Joey said pushing it onto Eve's head 'one scarf, and two mittens' he said wrapping the scarf around Eve's neck and pulled her gloves onto her hands. 'There. One snuggly little Evie' he grinned at his daughter. 'Go say bye to Mummy' he said to her, ushering her towards the sofa where Lauren was now sitting.

'Mama no elping build nowman?' Eve looked first her at daddy and then at Lauren.

'No darling, the park is too far for mummy to walk' Lauren told her 'you and daddy will have lots of fun together though, just the two of you' she told her.

Eve's face fell 'ront mama to come too' she pouted.

'I know' Lauren said as Eve toddled over to her 'I want to come too but I'm feeling a bit too tired so I'm going to have a nap' she told her.

'No nap mama. Elp build nowman with Evie and dada' she said, stamping her little foot on the floor 'pease mama, pease'

Joey walked into the lounge and he sat down next to Lauren, holding his hand out towards Eve, 'listen, sweetheart, mummy can't come, we have to go all the way to the park and mummy can't walk that far anymore and what if she slips over, hey?' he asked her 'we wouldn't want mummy to fall over, would we?'

'Mama no fall over' Evie shook her head as her tears started to fall. 'Eve no go park. Tay wiv mama' she sobbed as she threw herself at Lauren. 'Mama came wiv us last night…'

'Hey…silly thing' Lauren hugged her tightly 'don't you want to go and have fun with daddy and build a snowman?' she asked Eve

'No…ront mama come' Eve sobbed. Lauren sighed and she looked at Joey and saw he looked a little deflated at Eve not wanting to be with him. 'Dada pease, mama come too…' she turned her teary eyes to Joey.

'Okay. How about we build in a snowman in the square?' he asked Eve, 'then mummy can come too'

'Pease dada' she nodded her head 'build snowman in the scare' and wiped her eyes with the back of her mittens as she looked at Lauren 'pease mama?'

Lauren nodded her head with a smile 'Okay, wait for mummy to find something warm to wear' she told her. Lauren walked into the bedroom.

'Stay here Evie' Joey told her firmly. Eve nodded and watched her daddy follow her mummy. 'Sit down' he told Lauren. Lauren sat on the bed and he found a pair of socks and he pulled them on her feet. Next he found a Christmas jumper his mum had sent him and he helped Lauren pull it on over her head. 'There, two snuggly and warm girls' he said with a smile.

'She's just a little clingy to me at the moment, Joey' Lauren said to him 'I can't do all the things I used to do with her at the moment' her hand ran over her bump.

'Hey, it's okay I wanted you to come too' he told her truthfully. I don't know why I didn't think of building a snowman in the gardens before' he told her. 'Are you sure you're going to be okay?'

'I have to admit I was looking forward to a nap and the peace and quiet' she replied honestly. 'But I was a little jealous that I wouldn't get to see Evie build her snowman' she admitted to her husband.

'MAMA! DADA! Urry up!' a little voice called impatiently from the lounge.

'We'd better go' Joey smiled at their daughter's impatience.

Lauren nodded her head and Joey took her hand, leading her out of the room. He helped Lauren put on her coat, gloves and scarf as well as her boots. He pulled a bobble hat out of his pocket and pulled it on her head. Looking at her he laughed at her 'you look like a Weeble, babe' he told her.

'That's not funny' she scowled at him, slapping him on the arm as she moved past him to the front door.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Once they were outside, Lauren started to go down the steps. 'Babe, wait they're slippery' Joey told her. 'Evie, you stay here and daddy will come and get you. I'll just get mummy down to the path safely first' he told her.

'Kay, dada' she nodded her head. Joey took one of Lauren's hand in his and slipped one arm around her waist and helped her down the stairs. Once she was on the pavement safe and sound, Joey made his way back up the stairs and carried Eve down to the bottom, setting her onto her feet next to Lauren. 'Okay both of you hold my hand' Joey said as he stepped off the pavement. Lauren slipped her arms through his and Eve took his hand as he led them towards the gardens.

Once in the gardens, Lauren sat down on the bench as Joey and Eve set about making a snowman together. Eve was having a lot of fun and the excitement and joy was evident on her face. Her cheeks were red from the cold and Joey's were too. He kept glancing at Lauren every so often to make sure she was okay and she smiled at him. She loved watching these father and daughter moments. She couldn't wait to expand their family, her hand stroked her bump lovingly. She only hoped that Eve wouldn't feel put out once the new baby was here.

'Mama, mama look! We's build Olaf!' Evie exclaimed loudly 'See…Olaf!' she giggled and jumped up and down in the snow. Lauren got up and walked towards the snowman.

'It looks just like Olaf. You are such a clever girl, Evie' Lauren told her proudly. Eve grinned at her and then shrugged her shoulders.

'Dada elped a bit' she said casually, Joey rolled his eyes as Lauren laughed softly.

'How about we go and have a hot chocolate at the café to warm up?' Joey asked them both.

'Pease dada pease!' Eve jumped up and down excitedly.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey kept glancing at Lauren as they sat in the café. He was worried about her, she looked tired and she was insisting that they spend Christmas day at home by themselves, despite invitations from her parents and his mother. Which meant there was an awful lot of cooking to do and although Joey had said he would help, he knew Lauren would be running around making sure everything was going smoothly. He hadn't really noticed until Lauren had pointed it out but Evie did seem to be craving Lauren's attention more than usual. Even now Eve has insisted on sitting close to Lauren and was talking to her and making sure she was getting all her attention. He smiled and drank his coffee, starting to eat his cake.

'Evie? Do you want to help daddy eat his cake?' he asked her.

'Nope' she shook her head 'I's talking wiv mama!' she scowled at him before turning back to Lauren. Lauren glanced up at Joey, seeing the devastation on his face and then she leant closer and whispered in Eve's ear. Eve looked at her and then at Joey. 'Dada?' she asked softly.

'Yes, baby?' Joey looked up at her

'Can I's sit on your lap pease? Elp you eat cake?' she asked him.

'Of course, sweetheart' Joey smiled at her, Lauren helped her off the chair and she trotted round to Joey and he pulled her onto his lap, picking up some cake on a fork and feeding it to her.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

When the family got back to the house Lauren shrugged off her coat, removed her hat, scarf and gloves and Joey helped her take her boots off before she walked through to the bathroom.

'Mama?!' Eve trailed after her, but Joey scooped her up in his arms.

'Mummy's going to the toilet, baby' he told her 'let's get these outdoor clothes off you and then how about you and I snuggle up on the sofa and watch some Christmas films together hey?' he asked her as he started to undress her.

'Mama too?' she asked him.

'We'll see' Joey replied. 'There. You go and sit on the sofa whilst I hang these up' he told her softly.

Lauren came out of the bathroom and she stood in the doorway 'I'm going to lie down for a bit, Joe' she told him quietly as he walked towards her.

'Okay, babe' Joey nodded his head 'I'll keep this one entertained' he told her with a smile.

'Thanks' she smiled back at him and disappeared into the bedroom.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

When Lauren woke up a couple of hours later she was surprised and amused by what she saw when she came out of the bedroom. Eve was sitting on Joey's lap sucking her thumb as they watched TV and Joey had on a full face of makeup and numerous slides in his hair. 'Well don't you look pretty' Lauren said with a grin. Eve looked up at the sound of her voice and she beamed at Lauren around her thumb. 'Mama arake' she said and she wriggled off Joey's lap and ran over to her 'up mama, up' she held her arms out to her. Lauren looked down at Eve as Joey got up off of the sofa and he picked Eve up and gave her to Lauren 'thanks' she said.

'Did you sleep okay?' he asked her

'Mmm I did' she said nodding her head 'but I still feel tired' she said to him.

'Okay, let's get my girls settled on the sofa then' he said

'Dada's a girl too' Eve said 'dada pity'

'Daddy's very pretty' Lauren said as she sat down on the sofa, Eve insisted on sitting on Lauren's lap and Joey could see she was uncomfortable but she didn't complain at all.

'Mama…tell baby to top kicking me' Eve complained. 'it's urting'

'I'm sorry sweetheart, Squiggle's stretching is all' Lauren told her, kissing the top of her head softly. Lauren looked at Joey 'there are some makeup wipes in the bathroom cabinet' she told him.

'Thanks, will you be okay with her?' he asked her.

'Yep. I'll be fine' she nodded her head.

'Alright, I'll take this off and then I'll make dinner, is there anything you fancy?'

'I'm not really that hungry, the baby is pressing against my stomach, I'm feeling a little nauseous' she told him.

'Something light then' he said to her. She nodded her head distractedly as she brushed her fingers through Eve's curls.

Joey went into the bathroom and reached for the wipes in the cabinet. He was worried about Lauren, he knew that today had been too much for her, not that she was going to admit it to him. So he vowed to make sure he kept an eye on her.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

'Dada can re do to tar chart pease?' Eve asked him 'Miter Pink's tired' Eve said to him.

'Of course we can sweetheart' Joey told her. 'We'll get ready and when mummy comes out of the bathroom'

'Kay' she said, following Joey to the chart. She sat on the floor and talked quietly with Miter Pink, Joey smiled as Lauren came into the room.

'Babe, Mister Pink is tired and we're going to do the star chart now'

'Oh…okay' Lauren said with a smile, she took the stickers from Joey. 'So let's start with Elvis'

'Evis dawed on my bedwoom rall' Evie said 'Miter Pink seed him do it, so dat means Evis gets a back tar'

Lauren bit back a smile 'One black star for Elvis. Okay, let's ask daddy about Mr Jingles and Miss Tinsel'

'How many black stars do we have left?'

'Eight' Lauren said.

'Then they should get all of them' Joey replied.

'I finks dada get a back tar he says a bad fing' Evie said looking up at Lauren.

'That's very true' Lauren said nodding her head and she chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully. 'One black star for daddy' Lauren said and she added a star to a blank space on the chart. 'And One black star for Mr Jingles and Miss Tinsel. Now what about Evie?'

'A god tar pease mama' Eve said. 'I's been good all day, Miter Pink says so'

'Well I agree with Mister Pink, daddy do you agree with Mister Pink?' Lauren asked him

'I do' Joey nodded his head. 'A gold star for my little princess' he said with a smile.

'Fankoo' Eve smiled and she held out her arms to Joey 'can I's go to bed now pease, I's tired'

'Of course you can baby' Joey picked her up and held her out to Lauren, she kissed Eve's cheek.

'Night night baby, sweet dreams'

'You too mama' she yawned and lay her head down on Joey's shoulder.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren settled into the bed and she sighed 'being horizontal feels so good' she whispered softly 'my feet are so sore right now' she murmured. 'Maybe we can spend the day at home tomorrow?' she asked him.

'I'm sure we can work that out' he told her. 'We don't have anything planned, a day at home sounds good' he said and he looked at her 'today wore you out, huh?' he asked her.

'Mmm' she nodded her head 'it really did' she admitted surprising him, 'thank you for everything you've done today…' she said 'I'm so glad you're here, I don't think I could've coped by myself with Eve'

'That's what husband's and father's do' he told her.

'And you're the best husband and father ever' Lauren whispered with a smile. 'And you're my best friend' she told him and she reached forward and kissed him, 'love you'

'I love you too' he replied. 'Go to sleep, babe' he told her.

'Okay' she murmured softly as her eyes fluttered shut, she was asleep in a matter of minutes.

'Happy Ninth Day of Christmas Squiggle, mummy and daddy both love you very much' he whispered softly so he didn't wake Lauren 'you keep still tonight, hey, let mummy get some rest' he brushed his hands over Lauren's belly.

 **AN: Well it looks as though today's activities have taken a little bit of a toll on Lauren and they've agreed to a day at home tomorrow. I wonder what they will get up to! Leave us a review. Back tomorrow with another chapter rom 74crazychick.**


	12. Chapter 12

**74CrazyChick here with another update... Enjoy!... xx**

 **Chapter 10: Rudolph The Rednosed Reindeer**

 **Monday 23** **rd** **December 2019**

Joey smiled when he opened his eyes and for the first time in longer than he'd liked he saw Lauren still asleep in the bed. The last few days she had been awake before him and he knew that she wasn't sleeping very well. She was definitely struggling with carrying Squiggle much more than she had with Eve, which made him feel guilty… it also made him wonder if more children was fair to his wife. He leant forward and kissed his wife softly on the mouth. She stirred but remained asleep so he slid out of bed and left the room.

He opened Eve's bedroom door, smiling when he saw her curled up in bed. Mister Pink was held tightly in her arms. He retreated into the lounge, walking over to the Christmas tree and flicking on the Christmas lights. It was still pretty much dark outside and the fairy lights on the tree were the only thing lighting the room. He remembered something his mum had given him a couple of days earlier and having decided that today was going to be a quiet day for the family before the rush of Christmas hit them, he knew today was the perfect day for it. He couldn't wait to see Eve's and Lauren's faces when they saw what his mum had made.

He took the small carrier bag out of a cupboard and then went into the kitchen, stashing it temporarily on top of the fridge. He began to make breakfast for his girls, mentally planning out the day ahead as he did so.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

"DADA! DADA!" Eve shouted, running into the kitchen.

"Slow down, Evie… no running in the kitchen… you'll get hurt…" Joey said, "And inside voice, baby girl… or you'll wake mummy…" he added.

"Mama's arake…" Eve told him matter-of-factly. "She woked me up…" she added. Joey looked at his daughter and then caught movement out of the corner of his eye and saw Lauren standing in the doorway, leaning against the door jamb.

"Then you'd better both sit down so we can have breakfast…" He told them both.

"Rot haf we got, dada?" Eve asked as she headed towards the table.

"We have porridge…" Joey said.

"Orridge is yucky…" Eve declared as she sat at the table, with some help from her mummy. She was frowning as her daddy walked over with a small bowl of porridge for her and she started to shake her head from side to side when he put it in front of her.

"Eat your breakfast, Evie…" Joey said. 'Elvis, Mr Jingles and Miss Tinsel made it especially for you and mummy''

"Dada…" she whined but Joey wasn't giving in. She turned her attention to her mummy instead.

"Mama?" she said, pouting at her pitifully.

"Do as daddy says, sweetheart." Lauren said, picking up her spoon and taking a mouthful of the porridge. She smiled as she tasted the surprise that Joey had put into it. "Have one spoonful, Evie… it's really nice…" she encouraged.

Eve sighed heavily and begrudgingly picked up her spoon. She glanced at Mister Pink and shrugged her shoulders before turning to her bowl and lifting her now full spoon to her mouth. She chewed on the porridge and Lauren watched, seeing the moment her face lit up. "Choklate, dada!" she said excitedly.

Joey sat at the table with his own bowl of porridge. "So porridge isn't so yucky now then?" he said. Evie grinned at him, shaking her head before shovelling another spoon of porridge into her mouth. "The white chocolate buttons in it made all the difference then…" he said. "Well, if you eat the rest of that up like a good little girl… I've got a present for you… and for Mister Pink…" he said. Lauren frowned, looking up at her husband. He smiled at her, winking quickly.

"A pesent?" Eve said, "But it's not Kissmas yet, dada… did Santy come early?" she asked.

"No, baby girl… this is just a present from daddy… well, with a bit of help from Granny Sarah…" he told her, "One I thought you could use today…"

"Ry today, dada?" she asked after swallowing the latest mouthful of porridge.

"Because today is just about the three of us… We're going to have a nice family day… here at home… We're going to sit in the house… we can watch Christmas movies…"

"Dat sounds weal good, dada… Miter Pink likes the idea too…"

"Well that's good… I'm sure he'll like his present too…"

"He's weal cited about getting a pesent, dada… he's never had a pesent for…" Evie said chattily.

"He's just been a pesent…" she added.

The room fell silent then, Evie eagerly eating her yummy porridge, every single scrap of it disappearing quickly. Once they'd finished eating and while Lauren was wiping Evie's hands and face, Joey cleared away the bowls and then got up and retrieved the bag from the top of the fridge. He returned to the table and opened the plastic bag, pulling out one wrapped gift. He held it out towards Evie and she took it, her eyes widening in wonder, "Open it, Evie…" Joey said, his heart beating a little faster in anticipation of her opening the present. She tore at the paper and her face lit up when she saw what was inside.

"Is it a Wudy costume?" she asked.

"It is, Evie… Granny Sarah made it for you…"

"I love it, dada…" she said. Lauren took the bundle of material from her daughter and shook it loose, Evie giggling when the small antlers wobbled. Lauren gazed at the onesie that was made of the softest brown material she'd ever seen. The onesie was lined with a patterned material that had tiny Santa's on it, padding between the two layers of material. There was a hood which had ears and antlers on it and when she turned it in the air she saw there was a fluffy tail on the bottom. The bottom of the onesie had textured pads on it, so Eve wouldn't slip if she was running. "Can Miter Pink have his pesent now pease, dada?" Eve asked.

"I think he can… maybe you can help him open it?" Joey said.

"Evie elp…" she said. Joey passed her the smaller present and she tore the paper away. "MITER PINK! We's gonna be da same…" she cried out. "LOOK!" she shrieked.

"Okay, Evie… inside voice, please…" Lauren said, smiling as she watched Eve do the same to the smaller onesie (made for Mister Pink) that she had been doing to Evie's earlier. "How about the two of you and I go into your bedroom and you both put on those onesie's?" Lauren said.

"Can we, mama?" Eve asked.

"Yes, baby girl…" She got to her feet, aware of her husband silently watching her when she paused briefly and took a deep breath. She brushed a hand over her bump, feeling Squiggle wriggle around and then settle back to stillness again. Eve slid off her chair, with a little help from her daddy and they left the room, heading for Eve's bedroom.

Joey picked up his mobile, opening a new text message, _'Eve and Mister Pink loved them, mum…'_ he typed, _'I'll send you a picture once they've changed into them… xx'_ he ended, pressing send after reading it through.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren walked over to the chest of drawers in Eve's room, turning her head to look at Eve and smiling as she saw her carefully dressing Mister Pink in his new onesie. Her tongue was poking out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrated and Lauren felt this almost overwhelming wave of love for her little girl. She knew the next few weeks would be confusing for the toddler and she just hoped that the three of them… or four if you included Squiggle… would get through it relatively unscathed. She opened the top drawer and pulled out the card she'd stashed in there many weeks ago, having brought it before she was put on house arrest… when Christmas cards had first gone in the shops. This card was a special card… one for their little girl to give to her daddy… and now seemed like a great time for Eve to sign it. She walked over to the bed and sat on it beside her. "Evie, there's a card here that I've got you for daddy…"

"For Kissmas?"

"Yes, baby girl…"

"Can I gif it to him now?"

"No Evie… not today… maybe tomorrow though…" Lauren explained, "But I thought maybe you could sign it for him now…"

"Using my kayons?" Eve said. Lauren nodded and Eve slid off her bed and ran over to the table in the corner of her room and dragged the plastic tub across it. She reached inside, rooting through the contents, searching for the crayons she wanted. "FOUND IT, MAMA!" she suddenly cried and Lauren resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Subtlety was far from Eve's strong point… but then at just shy of two and half years old it was understandable. Eve ran back over to the bed and Lauren could see a purple crayon clasped in one hand. Lauren opened the card and Eve very carefully, her tongue poking out again, wrote her name in huge letters on the bottom of the card, like her mummy had taught her.

"Good job, Evie…" Lauren said once she was done, reaching for the card.

.

"Wait mama… I's got to do the kisses…"

Lauren smiled as Eve began to dot kisses all over the inside of the card. "I think that's enough now, baby girl." Lauren said. "Daddy will be wondering where we are and you still have to put your onesie on…"

"'Kay mama…"

Lauren put the card to one side and then began to help Eve change into the onesie her one of her grannies had made her. "You look pretty as a picture, Evie…" Lauren said once it was on. "Let's go and show daddy?" she said, pulling the hood up onto Eve's head, the antlers waving around every time she moved her head. Eve jumped down from her bed and Lauren's heart jumped in her chest, worrying that Eve would fall over and hurt herself but she didn't, she turned back to her mummy and held her hand out towards her. Lauren took it, smiling when she felt Eve tug on her hand, trying to help her fat mummy to her feet. They walked back out of the room and found Joey sitting in the lounge. He'd turned on all of the Christmas decorations while they were gone and the room looked magical.

"Let me take a picture, Evie…" Joey said, producing his phone and getting it ready. "Hold Mister Pink up in front of you so I can send this to Granny Sarah and she will see how great you both look…" He clicked off a few photos and then Lauren saw him fiddle with his phone and she knew he was texting them to her. While he was distracted she slipped into their bedroom and hid the Christmas card with the one she'd brought from herself, pleased that she was a little closer to being prepared. She just needed to worry about the presents now… although the mums had both reassured her that was all in hand.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

"Come over here, Evie…" Joey said, holding his hand out towards her. She toddled over, a worried look on her face as she stared up at him. "You are the cutest little reindeer I have ever seen, Evie…" he told her, "I could just eat you all up…" he told her, leaning forward and dotting kisses over her face.

"Eat me, dada?" she whispered, a look of horror on her face. 'NO EAT ME DADA! MAMA ELP EVIE!" she squealed.

"It's just an expression, sweetheart." Lauren said as she moved across the room and sat on the sofa near them. "And daddy is right, you look adorable, Evie… You and Mister Pink…" She told their little girl. "Ow…" she murmured, her hand brushing over her bump.

"Is the baby doing tar dumps again, mama?" Evie asked.

"Yes, Evie…"

Eve stepped forward and wound her little arms around Lauren's waist, clutching the dressing gown Lauren was still wearing. "Top it, baby…" Eve breathed, "You's hurting mama… and re get told off for fings like that…" She kissed Lauren's bump and then pulled away from her mummy, "Mama…?"

"Yes, sweetheart…?" Lauren said.

"Does baby haf a name?" Eve asked.

"Daddy and I have been thinking of some…"

"Rot are dey?"

"There's nothing certain yet… we're still working on it…"

"'Kay…" Eve said. She turned to her daddy, "Can we watch Wudy now?" she asked him.

"I think that can be arranged…" Joey said. He turned to the DVD player and found the disc that had been watched repeatedly. Eve was infatuated with it and she scrambled over to the sofa and dragged herself up onto it, shifting so she was sitting next to her mummy, leaning against her side as she curled up into a tiny ball. Joey put the disc in the machine and then got to his feet and made his way over to the sofa, sitting the other side of Eve.

"Can re see Fozen afer dis, dada?"

"I should imagine so." Joey said, relieved to not have to watch Rudolph again. The family watched the cartoon together, Eve watching it more intently, like it was the first time she'd seen it. Joey was only half watching the film, enjoying much more, watching Eve as she sat between them. It wasn't that long before the film was over and Joey got up again, switching the disc over for the Disney film instead. This was a present she'd been given for her birthday this year from her Uncle Oscar and it was another firm favourite. All of the little girls were obsessed with Frozen at Eve's nursery and quite often they would spend hours pretending to be Princess Anna or Princess Elsa… Not Eve though… no, Eve Branning was always her favourite character… Olaf.

"Mama…" Eve said suddenly, drawing the attention of both her parents.

"Yes, sweetie…" Lauren said, wrapping her arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer.

"Can Evie name da baby?" she asked.

"I think it's down to me and daddy to make the final decision, Evie… so we get the perfect name for

Squiggle… just like we did when you were born…" Lauren told her, "But you can suggest some names and we'll add them to the list…"

"I's rike 'Laf…" Eve said, smiling at her mummy.

Lauren swallowed the laugh that wanted to erupt from her, especially when she caught sight of her husband's amused face, "Well, daddy and I will write that down… Grab that pad of paper, daddy… and write Olaf on it…" Lauren instructed him, "Any other suggestions, sweetheart…?" she asked.

"Or dere's Wudy… I finks Santy rould weally rike it if re called da baby afer Wudy…"

"And rot bout if baby is a girl?" Joey asked, his eyes shining as he stared at his wife, having written down both of the suggestions from Eve.

"Oh… I'll fink bout it, dada…" she said. "Oh, I know… we could call it Miss Itty…" she said excitedly.

"We could add that to the list, baby girl…" Lauren said, "but then what would you call your kitten if Santa and Rudolph bring it for you on Christmas Day?"

"Oh yes…" Eve said, deflating slightly. "Maybe Anna den?" she said softly.

"Daddy, write that one too…" Lauren said, pleased it was a relatively normal name, even if it was Frozen orientated. "Any other ideas?"

"Mary?" Eve said softly.

"That's a lovely name, Evie…" Joey said as he wrote it down.

"Ope…" Eve suddenly said.

Lauren frowned for a second but then realised what she was saying, "Hope?" she asked and Eve nodded. "I really like that name too." She said,

"I can't fink of any more, mama…" Eve said.

"Well you came up with quite a few for daddy and I to think about… and we had a few as well… I

think that's plenty for us to choose from…" Lauren said, "And look, they're about to sing Let It Go… shall we watch?" Eve nodded and soon she was immersed into the film once more.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

"So what are your thoughts on Olaf… or Rudy?" Joey asked much later that evening.

"I don't think so, Joe…" Lauren said. Joey lowered his head and kissed her softly, deepening it after several seconds.

"Do you think she'll be disappointed?" Joey asked when they eventually separated.

"If we don't use any of the names she suggested?" Lauren asked and Joey nodded. "Not all of the ones she came up with were that bad…" she admitted, "I liked the names Mary and Hope…"

"So are you changing your mind from what we've already chosen?"

"Maybe… I don't know, Joe… I think we'll know what names to use once Squiggle is born…"

"And Mary or Hope wouldn't work if it's a boy anyway…" he breathed in her ear, "So maybe Eve will get her wish for Olaf yet…" he added, a hint of laughter in his voice. Lauren smacked him on the chest but then leaned her head on his chest, hearing the reassuring sound of his heartbeat beneath her ear.

"Today was a nice day…" she said softly.

"It was… I wanted us to have a nice quiet day before the mad rush of Christmas starts…" he said, kissing the top of her head.

"I have to admit, I'm not sure I'm up to a mad rush right now." Lauren told him.

"I know, babe… which is why you're going to let me do all the rushing around… all the running around after our little girl… the crawling on the floor and playing with the toys with her… and you're just going to sit and keep our as yet unnamed Squiggle nice and safe for a few more weeks, okay?" he said, his hand brushing over their child, feeling a slight shift beneath the surface.

"I think I can manage that…" Lauren said, yawning as she finished speaking.

"Let's get the two of you to bed." Joey said. He got to his feet and then lifted her in his arms, carrying her through to their bedroom. He placed her gently on the bed, helping her change out of her clothes. She put on extra-large T-shirt of his that was now stretched out of shape to fit her distended figure. He eased the duvet over her and sat on the edge of the bed, seeing the weariness on her face. He kissed her tenderly, brushing some hair back from his face and tucking it behind her ear.

"I love you, Joe." Lauren whispered.

"Love you too…" he said. His hand was on her bump again and as he finished speaking there was a resounding kick against the palm of his hand. He chuckled, "I love you too, Squiggle… Happy 10th day of Christmas, little one…" he said softly. He turned his head to Lauren, "I'll just go and check everything is locked up and turned off and then I'll be back…" Lauren nodded and he got up and left the room. By the time he was back in the bedroom he could tell that Lauren was asleep so he stripped and then eased himself into the bed, pressing is body behind that of his wife, the familiar feelings of arousal ebbing beneath the surface as he cradled the gorgeous body of his wife in his arms. She breathed his name as she lay there and it was the last thing Joey heard before he fell asleep.

 **A/N:** **How sweet was it for Sarah to make Evie and Mister Pink matching reindeer onesie's? I'm not sure who was more excited... Do you think Lauren and Joey are going to take Eve up on any of her baby name suggestions? Olaf and Rudy certainly have a ring to them... Eastendersfan444 is back with her last chapter tomorrow... Send us a review...**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Hi Eastendersfan444 back again with another chapter and another classic film title.**

 **Chapter 11: A Christmas Carol**

 **Tuesday 24** **th** **December 2019**

Lauren woke up to see Eve staring down her at her. 'Hewwo mama!' Eve grinned at her 'It's Kissmas Eve!' she exclaimed.

'It is' Lauren said softly. 'Morning sweetheart, where's daddy?' Lauren asked her daughter.

'It's a supise' Eve told her 'It's a secet…dada said not to tell you' she told her and then she grinned and leant forward and whispered in her mummy's ear 'dada's making us beckfast' she told Lauren.

'Oh, I see' Lauren said with a smile.

'Dada said no get up' Eve told her firmly. 'Mama haf to tay in bed… unless mama need wee wee'

'Okay, mummy will stay in bed, how about you get in here with me and give me a cuddle?' Lauren asked her.

'Weally?' she asked her.

'Yep' Lauren pulled back the covers and Eve scampered underneath and snuggled up to Lauren, her thumb found its way into her mouth, 'hey missy, what have we said about you sucking your thumb?' Lauren asked her softly.

'I's rike it' Eve mumbled around her thumb.

'Eve…' Lauren started to say and she smiled as she heard a wet plopping noise as Eve's thumb was pulled out of her mouth.

'But I's rike it mama!' Eve told her.

'It'll make your teeth grow crooked' Lauren told her. Eve sighed dramatically as Joey came into the bedroom with a tray.

'Good morning' he said as he walked in and saw Lauren was awake.

'Morning' Lauren smiled at him and she pulled herself to sit up 'Breakfast in bed?' she asked him.

'Yep' he nodded his head 'for both my girls' he told her 'sit up nicely Evie' he told her. Eve pulled herself to sit up and she looked at Joey expectedly.

'Rots for beckfast dada?' she asked him 'I's hungy' she said.

'Daddy has made special pancakes for breakfast, sweetheart' he told her.

'Peshal canpakes?' Eve asked in amazement

'Mmhmm. Very special pancakes' Joey said as he put the tray down in front of Lauren. 'Have a look Evie' he said with a smile.

Eve looked at her plate and she stared for a little while and then her eyes lit up and a huge grin spread across her face 'WUDY CANPAKES!' she exclaimed loudly and Lauren giggled. 'Look Mama, dada made me Wudy canpakes!'

'You're a very lucky little girl, aren't you, hey?' Lauren said softly 'what do you say to daddy?'

'Fankoo dada for my peshal Wudy canpakes. Luvoo lots dada' she said and she held her arms out to him as he sat down on the bed and hugged her.

'You're welcome honey, daddy loves you too' he said kissing her hair as he smiled at Lauren. 'Eat your breakfast, Eve before it gets cold' he told her.

'Yes, dada' Eve nodded her head. Joey got off the bed and he pulled a chair over to sit beside Lauren, lifting the lid off her plate.

'And yours and Squiggle's special pancakes, babe' he told her. Lauren looked down at her plate and she saw heart shaped pancakes with strawberries and cocktail sausages. 'Happy Christmas Eve' he said softly and he leant over and gave her a kiss.

'Thank you' she murmured against his lips 'I love you'

'I love you too' he replied. 'Now you eat up too. I'll be back in a little while okay' he told her.

'Have you eaten?' she asked him.

'Mmhmm. Been up for a couple of hours' he told her 'Enjoy your breakfast ladies' he said and he walked out of the room.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

After they'd eaten breakfast and Lauren had showered and got dressed, with Joey's help. When she was dressed they headed over to her mother's house. 'Okay, we are going to love you and leave you' Joey said to her 'Give me call when you're ready to come home and we'll come and get you' he told her.

Lauren frowned 'You're not coming in? Where are you going?' she asked him.

'Well, that's for me to know and you to find out' he smiled at her, he reached out and tilted her face up to his, kissing her softly. 'Call me when you want to come home, okay?'

'Okay' she said, Joey bent down and picked Eve up and he held her out towards Lauren.

'Say bye-bye to mummy' Joey said, Eve grinned at her.

'Bye mama. Be good for ganny' she said firmly 'and no cake!' she frowned slightly.

'You cheeky little monkey!' Lauren exclaimed, slightly stunned.

'She's only repeating what you say to her' Joey laughed.

'I do not sound like that…do I?' she looked at her husband and he smiled and nodded his head.

'Little bit' Joey replied. Lauren blinked at him and he smiled 'you should get inside' he told her 'and give me call when you want to come home and Evie and I will pick you up'

'Or mum can walk me back' Lauren said ''have fun doing whatever it is you're going to be doing' she said reaching up to kiss Joey. 'And you… be good for daddy' she said to Eve as she moved forward to kiss her cheek 'and if you're good, you can have some chocolate cake later' she whispered in her ear.

Lauren turned and opened the door to her mother's house, stepping inside. 'Mum, it's me' Lauren said as she opened the door and stepped inside.

'In the lounge, sweetheart' Tanya called back.

Joey smiled as Lauren closed the door and he smiled at Eve. 'You and I have got some things we need to do today'

'Re do?' Eve looked at him

'Mmhmm, we do' he told her.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Eve sat at the kitchen table with Joey surrounded by white card, glue, stickers and glitter. They were making a card for Lauren from Eve. Joey had offered to help her but she wanted to make her mummy a card by herself. Joey got up to make himself a coffee while Eve worked. He went into the bedroom briefly, returning with his laptop and sat down opposite Eve and looked at the accounts for the club. He'd been working on them for a little while, whilst keeping an eye on Eve when he heard her singing softly to herself. He looked up at her, trying to figure out what she was singing. He grinned when he heard the words she was singing and he knew Lauren wouldn't want to miss it. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and clicked on the video app, pointing it at Eve, zooming in so Lauren couldn't see anything she shouldn't, biting his lip trying not to laugh. He couldn't wait to show Lauren.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren finished wrapping the last of her gifts to Joey, 'I really appreciate you getting all these for me, mum' she said with a smile.

'It was my pleasure' she said to her 'I got some funny looks getting the chocolate body paint though, I can tell you that…' she said to her daughter. Lauren giggled. 'And I don't want to know what you and Joey get up to with it, okay?'

'Promise' Lauren smiled as she watched Tanya putting the wrapped gifts in the bag.

'Are you ready to go home?' she asked her.

'Yep, right after I pee' Lauren grinned, getting up off the sofa.

Fifteen minutes later the two of them left the house and were walking across the square when they bumped into Dot. 'Lauren, Tanya, Merry Christmas' she said.

'Merry Christmas to you too' Lauren replied with a smile.

'I was on my way to yours…' Dot continued 'I wasn't sure you were going to be up and around in this weather but now that I see that you are, I hope to see you at midnight mass tonight…you too, Tanya'

'I think it will be too late for Evie to be up' Lauren told her 'maybe next year Dot' Lauren said with a smile.

'Midnight Mass is an important part of Christmas, it's not just about toys and presents and a tree and a roast turkey. Eve is of an age where she can learn a lot of about the meaning of Christmas'

'She's two and a half, Dot…maybe next year' Lauren said softly.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren let herself in with her keys and carried the bags she'd brought over from her mums into the house, Joey met her at the door to the flat. 'Hey you' he said.

'Hey' she said, she gave him a soft kiss as she walked past him. 'Was Eve good?'

'As always' Joey replied, 'She's taking a nap' he told her. He followed Lauren through to the bedroom as she put her bags down and then turned and sat down on the bed. Joey knelt down and he took off her shoes and socks and put her slippers on her feet.

'Thank you' she said with a smile 'you're the best'

'I know. Do you want me to put these under the tree?' he asked her, looking at the bags she'd brought in.

'I can manage, thank you' Lauren said, knowing his ploy and she got up 'so what did you and Evie get up to whilst I was gone?' she asked him.

'It's a surprise' Joey told her with a grin. 'And speaking of surprises I have something to show you' he said pulling his phone out of his pocket.

'I have a surprise for you too' Lauren said to him with a sheepish smile 'We ran into Dot on the way home and with me being built like a weeble, we couldn't get away and I kind of agreed that we'd all go to Midnight Mass tonight… you, me, Evie, mum, dad and Oscar' she blurted out.

'What?' Joey frowned at her 'In a church?'

'Mmmhmm'

'And you said we'd go?'

'I didn't have a choice. You know what Dot's like and she said that this could be her last Christmas and I couldn't say no…I mean I did say no, I tried to say no twice but she wouldn't have it…' she looked at him. 'She said it was important that we show Eve the other side to Christmas…the non- commercial side' she said 'please don't be mad with me'

'You know I hate churches' Joey complained 'and Dot will probably outlive all of us' he frowned.

'I know, I know, I'm sorry' Lauren turned to look at him 'I was weak…I tried to say no, I swear' she told him. Joey sighed and he walked over to her.

'I know' he told her and kissed her forehead. He took her hand and led her out of the bedroom and into the lounge.

'So what did you want to show me?' she asked him as she sank down onto the sofa.

'Something I caught Eve doing today, it was so funny and so cute and I knew I had to record it so you could watch it' he said sitting beside her. 'It's obviously something she's learned in playgroup' he told her and he pulled up an app on his phone and handed it to her.

Lauren watched and she could hear Eve singing while she concentrated on something Lauren couldn't see, Lauren frowned, 'What's she's singing?' Lauren asked Joey.

'Keep listening' Joey giggled.

Lauren listened and a slow smile spread across her face.

Ring out dose bells to fight  
Beth he men, Beth he men,  
Fa low dat tar so bight  
Beth he men, Beth he men

Little wonky, little wonky  
Had a heffy day  
Little wonky  
Carry Mary safey on her way

Lauren was giggling so hard by the time she'd finished watching the video, 'Oh my god that's so adorable' she told Joey.

'I know, I didn't have the heart to correct her. When I spoke to her afterwards she was adamant those were the words and it was Little wonky not donkey, she told me Mister Pink agreed with her and Rudolph and Santa did too'

'We have to show mum and dad and Sarah and Alice and Abs…Abs is going to love it' she grinned at him.

'We should' he nodded 'we'll save it so we can play it at her eighteenth birthday party' Joey grinned at her.

'That's so mean' Lauren scowled at him, nodding her head at the same time. 'We have to keep it'

'Mama? Dada?' Eve said as she trotted into the room, Mister Pink dangling from her hand. 'ry's you laffing?' she asked them.

'No reason sweetie' Lauren said to her 'Did you have a nice morning with daddy?' she asked her.

'Mmmhmm, Evie and Miter Pink made a supise for you' she announced. 'Dada, rere is it?' she asked him, looking around. 'I's gived it to mama now' she told him.

'I'll go get it' he said rolling his eyes, he stood up and pushed his phone into his pocket. Lauren smiled and she crooked her finger at Eve and she padded over to her, Lauren whispered in her ear and Eve's eyes widened and she raced through to her bedroom. A few minutes later she came back with a small bag and a questioning look on her face. Lauren nodded and smiled.

'Come and sit here' Lauren patted the sofa beside her.

When Joey came back into the room, Lauren was laying back against the sofa, with her shirt pulled exposing the bump and Eve and Mister Pink had a hand or a paw on Lauren's belly and Eve was singing to Squiggle. Joey could see Lauren was trying not to laugh as he got closer to them both. He sat down gently on the sofa so he didn't jostle them both. He looked at Lauren and smiled as he heard Evie singing to Squiggle.

On da furst day of Kissmas  
My too luv ment to be  
A partidge in a rare tee

doo urtle loves

tee Fench Hens

Four coloured birds

Ive Gold wings

Ix gooses waving

Sen swan swimswim

Eight marys miking

Nine ladies dancy

Ten ords eaping

Eleben papers iping

Trelve dummer dumming

When she'd finished Joey was openly laughing and Lauren scowled at him as she pulled her top back down. 'Ry's you laffing dada?' Evie looked at him, her big brown eyes filled with tears and her bottom lip wobbled.

'I wasn't laughing at you, baby, I was laughing at Squiggle. I think Squiggle was dancing in mama's tummy when you and Mister Pink were singing. Your singing was beautiful, Evie' he told her.

Eve looked up at him 'Weally, dada?'

'Really, you are so good' he told her with a proud smile.

'I's can sing more?' she asked him.

'Maybe later, you have a surprise to give mummy, remember?' he raised his eyebrows at her and he handed her the envelopes.

'An I's haf a supise for dada' Eve said as she held out the bag to him 'Mary Kissmass, Dada' she said, scrambling onto his lap to give him a big wet noisy kiss on the lips.

'Merry Christmas to you too, Evie' he said as he took the bag from her. Eve scrambled over to Lauren and gave her a kiss too.

'Mary Kissmas, Mama' Eve beamed at her and she sat down between the two of them 'Dada open' she told him. Lauren and Eve watched as Joey opened his cards. Lauren had gone for a shop brought card this year, it was a cute card with Santa and a red nosed reindeer on the front of it. 'Santy and Wudy, dada!' Eve smiled.

'I see, sweetheart. It's a very pretty card'

'Evie and Miter Pink tose it for you, dada'

'Well I love it thank you Evie, thank you Mister Pink'

'Wead it, dada' Joey opened the card and he smiled when he saw shaky writing inside 'mama elped Evie ite it' she said softly.

Joey smiled as he read the words 'I love you too, Evie' he told her with a smile. 'Wead the other card, dada'

Joey opened the card and he paused as he looked at the picture, it was an ultrasound picture of Squiggle wearing a Santa Hat. Joey's eyes filled with tears, he opened the card to read inside and he turned to look at Lauren. 'You are such a soppy woman' he told her and he leant over and kissed her. 'I love you' he murmured softly against her lips.

'I know, we love you too, babe' Lauren replied.

'Your turn, mama!' Eve said and she looked at her expectantly. Lauren opened the card and as she pulled the card out of the envelope glitter fell onto her lap and the sofa, her eyes shot up to meet Joey's and he grinned at her. Eve giggled 'parkly mama' Lauren smiled and she looked at the card. There were three people on the card, Lauren, Eve and Joey. They were standing outside a big house, with Santa and Rudolph on the roof. Lauren smiled, her daughter really was going to be a great artist when she grew up. Lauren opened the cad and giggled when she saw a glitter cat and a glitter baby inside. 'Do you rike it mama?' Eve whispered.

'I love it Evie, it's so good' Lauren smiled at her 'thank you sweetheart' Eve beamed at her mama.

'I's gad, Miter Pink and I made it'

'You both did a very good job. Joey, why don't you put these cards from our very talented and beautiful daughter and Mister Pink on the windowsill' Lauren told him.

'Okay' Joey smiled 'Evie do you want to help me?' he asked her. Eve shook her head.

'Nope, I's gonna sing to mama and Iggle' she told Joey 'mama, top up'

Joey laughed as he heard Eve start to sing "little Wonky" to the baby and Lauren.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

'Okay, I think it's time for us to look at the Naughty and Nice Chart and see how many stickers everyone has' Joey said 'and we forgot to add on the stickers for yesterday, Eve can you grab some paper and a pencil for me please?'

'Yep' Eve said and she got up and ran into her bedroom. Lauren and Joey smiled as they heard the bedroom door thud against the wall. Lauren got up and grabbed the stickers and she sat down on the chair Joey had brought in from the kitchen.

'Okay, so who can remember who was good or bad yesterday?' Joey said 'Evie?'

'I ras good' she said matter-of-factly. 'I gets a god tar'

Lauren smiled nodding her head in agreement 'that's true' she told her. 'One gold star for Evie.' Joey peeled a sticker off and handed to Eve and she stuck it on the chart under her name.

'What about the elves?' Joey asked Eve.

'Deys made me and mummy beckfast so I finks deys get a god tar too' she said looking up at her mummy for confirmation.

'I think so too' Lauren said. Joey peeled off two more stickers and stuck them on the chart under the elves name.

'And I finks dada gets a god tar too cause he made peshal canpakes for us for beckfast today' Eve said 'No doo god tars for dada' she smiled up at her daddy.

'Thank you Evie' Joey smiled and he peeled off two stickers 'can you stick these on the chart for daddy please?' he asked her.

'Yep' she took them one at a time and added them to the chart.

'Okay, so mummy can you please tell us the totals?' he asked Lauren.

Lauren licked her lips 'Okay, give me a minute' she said and she looked down at the paper. 'Right, Mr Jingles and Miss Tinsel have a total of 8 black stars and 1 gold star'

'Wow, deys been weally bad, mama' Eve said to him

'Yes, they have' Lauren nodded her head.

'Re should tell Santy and Wudy deys been bad' Eve told her seriously.

'I think you're right, I think we need to write a letter for Santa and Rudolph and tell them how good or bad everyone was' Joey said to her. 'That was a really good idea, Evie' he smiled at her 'you are so clever and I think that deserves another gold star' he told her with a grin.

'Fankoo dada' she beamed at him, her little chest puffing up with pride.

'Okay so, Elvis the Elf has 6 gold stars and 6 black stars' Lauren said.

'Evis is half bad and half good' Eve said.

'That's right' Joey nodded 'You are so clever'

'Daddy has 1 black star and 2 gold stars' Lauren said and she looked at Joey with a grin.

'How come mummy doesn't have any stars?' he grumbled 'Mummy has been naughty too'

'You like it when I'm naughty' Lauren smirked.

Joey shook his head with a grin 'that's right I do, okay mummy has infinite gold stars'

'Damn right I do' she murmured.

'Okay so that leaves one person's star total' Joey said 'Are you ready for your total?' he asked her.

'Uh-huh' she said and she looked up at her mummy expectantly.

'Well, Evie has 1 black star and 13 gold stars' Lauren said 'good job Evie!' she grinned at her daughter. 'I am so proud of you and I think Santa and Rudolph will be too' he told her.

Eve blushed 'fankoo mama' she said grinning broadly.

'And daddy is proud of you too, baby girl' he told her 'Come, give me a hug' he told her. Eve moved into his arms and she held onto him tightly. 'You are such a good girl, Evie' he said and he kissed her cheek.

'I think that means that Evie gets a reward' Lauren said 'what you do think daddy?'

'I think so too' he said 'and I have just the thing' he told her and he picked her Eve up and took Lauren's hand and they went into the kitchen. 'Mummy?' he looked at Lauren. She walked to the fridge and pulled out a large box and carried it over to the kitchen table.

'Rot is it dada?' Evie asked him. She watched with wide eyes as Lauren lifted the lid on the box and inside was a chocolate cupcake with sparkly sprinkles and a little sleigh and a reindeer on a stick in the middle of it. 'WOW! It's pity' she gasped.

Joey put her down on a chair and Lauren picked up the cupcake and put it on a piece of kitchen towel, and pushed it towards her. 'Eat up, baby' Lauren smiled at her.

'Fankoo mama, Fankoo dada' she said, Lauren pulled out the stick and took it to the sink to rinse it and then cut off the pointy end of the stick so she could give it to Eve.

'You're welcome sweetie' Lauren smiled at her. 'When you've eaten that, we'll write a letter to leave for Santa to tell him about his elves'

'Okay mama'

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey and Lauren sat on the sofa with Eve in between them, Mister Pink on Eve's lap and three elves on sitting on the windowsill.

'Are you ready, Evie?' Joey asked her 'what do you want to say to Santa and Rudolph?'

'Dear Santy and Wudy. Fankoo for tusting me to look afer Evis for you. He's been good Ef and a bad Ef….' she glanced at Joey to make sure he was writing down what she was saying. 'He's got ix god tars and ix back tars. I finks he's gonna be a good Ef, but I finks he needs to come and tay wiv me next kissmass just to make sure. Miter Pink and me luvs Evis ots and ots' she looked up at Lauren. 'Is dat okay, mama?' she asked.

Lauren nodded her head 'It's perfect, baby' she told her with a smile. 'We need to tell Santa about Mr Jingles and Miss Tinsel too'

'Rill mama elp Evie wiv da rords?' she asked her.

'Of course I will' Lauren smiled 'Are you ready, daddy?'

'Yes' he nodded.

'Okay, Mr Jingles and Miss Tinsel earned 1 gold star and 8 black stars. They are not ready to be let loose with children. They should go to Elves boot camp and get a lump of coal for Christmas'

'Rots oot camp?' Eve asked.

'It's where very naughty elves go and they have to work very hard and do lots of tasks until they are good elves' Joey explained.

'Oh…den I finks ef oot camp is a good idea if it rill make dem good efs' Eve said 'good job, mama'

Joey giggled as Eve repeated the words Lauren had used earlier to her. 'Thank you, Evie May Branning' Lauren smiled, squeezing Eve against her side. 'Okay so who' next?'

'Dada' Eve said 'Re haf to tell Santy and Wudy bout dada'

'Okay, you tell daddy what to write' Lauren said to her.

She nodded her head 'Santy, dad got 2 god tars and a back star cos he says a bad rord and Evie eard it. Dada made Evie and mama peshal canpakes for beckfast. Dada's a good dada, but I finks he should haf a ump of oal too' she giggled.

'Hey!' Joey exclaimed, 'that's not very nice' he told her, but he was laughing too. 'I think we need to tell Santa about you now, Evie.'

'Evie got…'she looked up at her mama.

'13 gold stars and 1 black star'

'Did you get dat, dada?'

'I got that' Joey nodded his head and she smiled.

'Evie's a good girl Santy and Wudy. I's only got run ack tar so I don't finks I get oal for Kissmass and I don't finks I needs to go to oot camp' she shook her head 'Rite?' she looked at Joey.

'No, you don't need to go to boot camp' he told her softly. 'Can I write something for Santa?' he asked her.

'Yep' she nodded.

'Santa and Rudolph, this is Joey Branning, Evie's daddy. I just want to let you know that her mummy and I are so proud of her and we hope you can give her everything she wished for, for Christmas, because she is the best little girl in the whole wide world and she deserves everything. She is going to be a great big sister to the new baby. I hope you can also give Evie's mummy, Lauren Branning everything she wished for for Christmas too, because she is the best mummy a little girl could ever have and the best wife a man could ask for. And I already have everything I want for Christmas, so If you want to give me a lump of coal too then that would be fine with me, because there's nothing else I want' he said out loud as he wrote.

'Joey…' Lauren whispered and she leant over and kissed him, 'you are so romantic, I love you so much'

'I love you too, babe' Joey whispered, kissing her again, both of them momentarily forgetting that Eve was sitting between them until they were interrupted by a little voice.

'ELP! ELP!' she exclaimed. Joey and Lauren broke apart.

'Sorry baby' Joey said and he bent down and kissed her cheek, 'we're sorry'

'Evie was kushed' she said softly.

'Sorry, Evie' Lauren smiled kissing her too. 'Okay, so have we finished with the letter?'

'Evie rite more' Eve said.

'Okay, dada's ready'Joey said, pen poised over the paper.

'I luvoo Santy and Wudy. Ots of luv Evie May Bwanning. Put ots of kisses on it, dada' she told him and she looked down at the paper 'more…more…more…okay dats enough' she said to him 'Fankoo for riting for me, dada'

'You're welcome' Joey replied as he folded the letter and put it in an envelope. He let Eve write on the front and he smiled. 'We can leave this for Santa with the mince pies and carrots'

'Good finking, dada'

 **JL*JL*JL*JL***

Lauren wondered what on earth had possessed her when she agreed to go to midnight mass on Christmas Eve. She could barely sit still for half an hour on her soft, comfy sofa at home. What made her think she could sit for double that time on a cold hard wooden pew? She blamed her baby brain and Dot for catching her off guard when she'd agreed. Her bum had gone numb and her back was killing her. She shifted for the umpteenth time and Eve glanced at her.

'Sit till mama!' Eve scolded her in a loud voice. Joey had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing. Lauren rolled her eyes and nudged him in the ribs and he yelped in surprise and Lauren giggled. Dot turned round to glare at them both and Lauren averted her gaze and shifted again in her seat.

'How much longer?' Lauren whispered to Joey.

'I have no idea, babe' Joey replied 'remind me again why you thought this would be a good idea?' he asked his wife.

She shrugged 'I was distracted and I have baby brain' she replied. 'This wooden pew is killing my back' she mumbled shifting in her seat again.

'Do you want to go?' he whispered.

'What time is it?'

Joey looked at his watch, '12:30am'

'I need to pee' she hissed at him. 'Really, really badly'

'Okay, we'll go' Joey said and he stood up with Eve, Tanya and Max turned around to see Lauren ease herself out of the wooden pew and Joey put his arm around her as he led her out of the church.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey settled himself into the bed as he waited for Lauren to return from the bathroom, apparently Squiggle was using her bladder as a trampoline and that made her need to pee every three minutes. He looked up as she shuffled into the bedroom, dropping the robe on the floor. He pulled back the sheets for her and she climbed gratefully into bed. 'Thank you' she smiled at him.

'You're welcome' he replied as she snuggled into his arms, her lips pressing against his neck. 'Mmm, you feel warm and cozy' she murmured, wrapping her arms around him.

'You do too' he smiled, 'you comfy?'

'Yep. My bum isn't numb anymore' she confided in him, his hand slid down to squeeze her bottom.

'That's good to know' she giggled and then yawned.

'You tired, babe?'

'Shattered' she admitted to him.

'Well, we should get to sleep, we have a really busy day tomorrow' he said to her 'Evie's probably going to be up at the crack at dawn…she's really excited this year, it took three stories to get her to go to sleep. She can't wait to see if Rudolph ate the carrots she left for him and if Santa drinks his milk and eats the mince pies we left out that she helped you make.'

'I can't wait to see her face when she sees the kitten we've got for her' Lauren said sleepily.

'She's going to love it' Joey admitted.

'I know…it's a good thing I told dad not to bring it over until later tomorrow morning, otherwise she wouldn't open the rest of her presents…'

'That's true and I spent hours and hours wrapping those presents' he said softly.

'Lauren 'elped' Lauren said in a little girl voice.

'Lauren hindered and got in the way and got bossy' Joey replied with a giggle.

'Hey!' she pulled back to look at him.

'You know you got bossy, don't give me the puppy dog eyes and try to deny it' he told her softly. 'It's late, we should sleep'

'We should' she nodded her head. Joey kissed her gently.

'Happy Christmas Eve, Lauren' he whispered softly. Placing his hand on her belly 'and to you too, Squiggle' he rubbed her bump affectionately.

'Happy Christmas Eve, Joey' Lauren replied softly, shifting in the bed slightly as she tried to comfortable. Those wooden pews in the church had a lot to answer for.

 **AN: Well I think they're all excited about Christmas today tomorrow and poor Lauren being collared by Dot and having to agree to go to midnight mass! I love Evie's singing though…Little Wonky! #giggles. Back tomorrow with another chapter from 74crazychick. Leave us a review and Merry Christmas. Xx**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: And It's 74Crazychick back again for today's chapter. Enjoy and don't forget to leave us a review. MERRY CHRISTMAS!**

 **Chapter Twelve: The Christmas Gift.**

 **Wednesday 25** **th** **December 2019.**

Lauren woke early in the morning and she couldn't ignore it any longer. She sat up in the bed and slowly pushed herself to her feet. She walked very slowly towards the door and out of the room. She was heading to the bathroom but she paused and pushed open the door to Eve's room. She smiled as she saw her daughter fast asleep, cuddling her pink teddy bear. She turned to leave the room, wincing slightly as she moved and closed the door behind her, heading once more to the bathroom.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

It was sometime later before Lauren was walking back into the bedroom and she glanced at the time as she pushed the bedroom door shut. It was four in the morning… only a couple of hours since the two of them had gone to bed. She sat on the bed and turned on the bedside light. Several minutes passed, Lauren's hands gripping the edge of the mattress as she took some deep breaths.

"Babe?"

Lauren glanced over her shoulder, seeing Joey lying on the bed, his hand wiping at his eyes as he struggled to wake up. "It's time…" she whispered.

"Yes, babe… Christmas… but I think it's a bit early to be up… even Eve must be asleep now… You should be getting some rest. The Christmas stockings can wait until later' he told her with a knowing smile.

"Not Christmas time, Joe…" Lauren said gently, "Baby time…" she added.

"It can't be, babe… you're not due for another two weeks…"

"Try telling Squiggle that…" Lauren told him.

"You're really in labour…?" he said, reality finally sinking in.

"Yes…" She breathed in sharply as another contraction ebbed through her body. "My waters broke a little while ago…" she whispered.

"I should call the midwife…" he said, throwing back the covers and pushing himself out of the bed. He grabbed some boxers and jogging bottoms, pulling them on as he walked round to her side of the bed, crouching in front of her and looking at her face. He grabbed her mobile phone from the bedside table and unlocked it, scrolling through the numbers until he found the name of the midwife.

Lauren lifted her hand and covered his hand, "Don't Joe…"

"Babe, you're in labour…" he said.

"It's four in the morning on Christmas Day…"

"And you're in labour…" he said. He stared at her face, seeing the determination on there. "Then I'll call your mum over here to look after Eve and we go to the hospital…"

"No, Joe… I'm having this baby here… at home… in our flat like we've planned… not in a hospital… in our home… surrounded by the people I love…" She gasped again as another contraction washed over her.

Joey watched her face in concern, "How long have you been having contractions?" he asked her softly.

"I don't know…" she admitted, "I thought it was just Braxton Hicks…" she told him, "and the pew at the church wasn't exactly comfortable…"

"You've been having contractions since we were at church last night…?" he asked in disbelief.

"I didn't know that's what they were… I told you, I thought it was Braxton Hicks…" She said sheepishly and she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, biting her lip.

"They're pretty close together… are you sure I shouldn't be calling the midwife…?"

She looked up at his face, seeing the worry and fear in his eyes. "Okay…" she softly agreed.

"I'll be back in a minute, okay…" He pushed himself to his feet and started to walk towards the door.

"Joe… don't go… don't leave me…" she whispered.

Joey moved quickly so he was back at her side, sitting on the bed beside her and putting an arm around her back. "I'm going nowhere…" he told her, kissing the side of her head. He pressed the midwife's number on Lauren's mobile phone. "Hello, this is Joey Branning… I'm calling because Lauren is in labour…" he said once his call was answered.

"I can be with you in an hour… I need to go to the clinic to pick up the things I need." The midwife said. "How far apart are her contractions?"

"Three or four minutes…" Joey told her.

There was silence at the other end of the line, "You should take her to the hospital…"

"She won't go… she wants to have Squiggle here…" Joey told her, smiling as he stared at his wife, "She's quite stubborn at times…"

"I'll get there as quickly as I can… Just let Lauren do as she feels… follow her natural instincts… And you can call me if you have any concerns…"

"Thank you… I'll leave the door on the latch so you can get in when you get here… Eve is still asleep and we'd like her to not be scared by what's happening…"

"Okay… I'll be there as soon as I can."

Joey ended the call and looked at his wife, "Are you okay for a couple of minutes?" he asked. "I'm going to go and unlock the front door…"

"I'll come with you…" Lauren said quickly. She saw the disbelief on Joey's face, "I want to walk around a bit, Joe…"

"Are you sure?" he asked and she nodded. "Alright… but we go slowly, okay…" She nodded again and Joey stood, holding his hands out towards her. Lauren got slowly to her feet and she smiled up at her husband.

"I love you, Joe…" She whispered.

"I love you too… but I must be insane."

"Why?" she asked, frowning slightly as they started to walk slowly to the bedroom door.

"To not follow my instincts and take you to the hospital…"

"Please Joe… I want to have our baby here…" She looked at him, "You want me to be happy, don't you?" She unleashed the puppy dog eyes on him again and Joey quickly relented.

"You know I do and that's the only reason we aren't rushing in the car to the hospital with a groggy toddler in the back seat" he said. Joey opened the bedroom door and they continued the slow walk towards the front door. Lauren's arm gripped Joey's as a contraction struck and they came to a stop. Joey wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her so she could lean against him as his hand brushed the base of her back gently. "I've got you…" he whispered as he kissed her forehead.

"Thanks Joe…" she murmured, resting her head on his shoulder. The contraction eased once more and they continued to walk towards the front door. Joey kept a close eye on his wife, still not sure he'd made the right decision but not wanting to let her down. Once they reached the door, Joey unlocked it and left it on the latch, knowing the midwife would come into the flat when she got here.

"Stay here for a couple of seconds, babe… I'll just go to the front door and do the same thing…" he told her. Lauren looked at his face and he could see she was scared, "I won't even be out of your sight, Lauren… I'm just taking a couple of steps away from you… I'll be back in moments…" She nodded her head, watching as he stepped away from her and did the same thing to the door on the street. He moved back to her side once the door was unlocked. "Let's get you back to the bedroom, babe…" he told her softly, his hand lifting and brushing some hair back from her face and tucking it behind her ear. Lauren nodded and they took a couple of steps. They'd only made it as far as the door to the lounge when Lauren clutched Joey's arm once more. She moaned and Joey looked at her in concern. "You okay, babe?"

Lauren shook her head, "I think Squiggle is a bit keener to get here than I'd thought…" She said, breathing deeply.

"We should get back to the bedroom…" he said, concerned by the look on her face.

"I can't Joe… I can't…"

"What do you need me to do?"

She looked up at him, "I need to push…" she told him urgently.

"Babe, we need to wait for the midwife…" Joey told her softly.

"I don't think I can, Joe… and Squiggle is definitely against that idea." She could see the hesitation on his face, "Please Joe…"

"Where then?" he asked her.

"Here…" she said, turning her face towards the lounge.

"Okay… can you walk that far?" he asked her.

"If you help me…" she whispered.

"Nowhere else I'd rather be," he told her. He helped her slowly over to the middle of the room and they were soon standing near the sofa. "How do you want to do this, baby girl?"

"Kneeling…" she whispered, her body tensing slightly as she had another contraction, "in a minute…" she added.

"Let's sit you on the sofa first…" Joey said, helping to ease her down onto the furniture. "Should I call the midwife again?"

"No… just stay with me…" She looked at him, lifting her hand and cupping his face, "We can do this, Joe… we're strong enough to do anything… if we do it together…"

"I don't know how you can have such faith in me…" he said, "I should've realised when we got home last night…" He lowered his head, "I'm always letting you down…" he murmured.

"No, you aren't, Joe… I have faith in you because I know you would do anything for me… anything for Eve… and I know you're going to do anything for Squiggle…"

"You want me to deliver our baby?" he asked, looking up at her face.

"It can't be that hard, Joe… dad delivered Oscar…"

"Then I should get your dad to come over here, he has experience…"

"No, Joe… I'm fairly certain that is a father/daughter experience I don't want… We can do this, Joe… We've done this once before after all…"

"It wasn't me at the business end then though, was it?"

"We can do this, Joe… Have a little faith…" She told him, "Now can you help me off this sofa… I think I need to start pushing…" Joey nodded his head and then took her hand, helping her off the sofa so she was kneeling in front of it and leaning forward on the seat. He moved away from her briefly, switching on the Christmas tree lights so they lit the room gently. "Can you rub my back, baby?" she asked him as he moved back to her side. He nodded and slipped his hand under the T-shirt of his she was still wearing. He brushed his hand over her lower back and she arched her back slightly, resting her forehand on her hands as they lay on the sofa in front of her.

"It's okay, babe…" Joey whispered, "I'm right here…" he told her. Lauren turned her head, looking at his face and he saw the pain wash over it, knowing another contraction was happening. She stared into his eyes and he could tell she was now pushing, following her body's natural instincts. "That's it, babe…" he told her softly. She stopped pushing, panting slightly as her body prepared itself for the next one. "I'm going to have a quick look, okay?" he murmured and she nodded her head once. He moved, lowering until he could see, he could see the top of the baby's head. "You're doing great, Lauren… I can see the baby…"

"Here's another one…" she groaned and he watched as she started to push again. Lauren shifted slightly, moving her legs further apart and Joey saw the head come a little further out. She still had a way to go but Joey already knew he would be delivering their baby… the midwife wasn't going to get here in time.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Squiggle was moving fast and after another four contractions Joey could see the crown of the head much better. Another two big pushes from his wife and all of the head was born. "Let me just check to make sure the cord isn't there, babe…" Joey said softly and he heard Lauren switch to panting as Joey ran his fingers around his child's neck, relieved to find the cord wasn't there. "Okay, babe… I think it'll be just one more push and Squiggle is going to be here… Are you ready?" he asked her.

"God, yes, Joe…" she groaned and then she was pushing once more. The baby slipped free into Joey's waiting hands and his eyes widened as he realised what had just happened.

"She's here, babe…" he whispered. "Can you move so you can sit down… then you can say hello to our second daughter," he told her. Lauren moved slowly, sitting on the floor carefully. Joey placed their newborn daughter on her chest and Lauren cradled her gently. Joey reached for the throw on the back of the sofa and draped it over his two girls, seeing Lauren starting to shiver slightly. He sat next to her, his arm around her back. "She's beautiful, babe… just like her sister and her mama…" He kissed the side of her head, her hair slicked back on her head as she stared down at her daughter.

"What are we going to call her?" Lauren whispered.

"I know we'd talked about it… chosen a few names… but I'd like to offer a suggestion." Joey said. Lauren looked up at him and nodded her head, "I'm sure you'll be relieved to know it's none of the suggestions Evie made…" he told her and Lauren smiled.

"Stop stalling and tell me…" she breathed.

"Holly…" Joey said, "Holly Faith…"

Lauren looked down at her second daughter, "Holly Faith Branning… It's beautiful, Joe… just like she is…"

"Knock knock…" The couple looked up and saw the midwife standing in the doorway, "I see I'm a little late to the party…" she said with a smile.

"Holly and Lauren weren't able to wait… Holly was born a few minutes ago… at 5.42…" Joey said, pride on his face. "The cord is still attached…" he told the midwife softly.

"Is it okay if I examine you, Lauren? You and…Holly was it?" Lauren nodded, leaning her body against Joey's. The midwife lifted the bottom of the throw and did her examination of Lauren. She quickly did what she needed to the cord and then looked up at Joey, "Would daddy like to finish the job and cut the cord?" she asked.

Joey glanced at Lauren and she nodded her head, smiling at him tenderly. He moved to the midwife and he cut the cord where she was indicating. "Thanks…" he said softly.

"Now I just need to check Holly over… it won't take me more than a minute or two…" the midwife said. She reached for the baby and took her from Lauren. Joey moved back to Lauren's side and he put his arm around her shoulders. As promised less than two minutes later the midwife had returned Holly to her parents, now wrapped in a pink blanket, a little pink hat on her head.

"Should we get Eve up?" Joey asked Lauren.

"I think it might be best if I sorted out the afterbirth first…" the midwife said, "I don't think that's something your little girl should see…" She pulled a plastic sheet out of her bag and she started to get everything ready. She looked at her patient, "When you're ready, Lauren… Just a couple of small pushes and we'll be done." The minutes passed and Lauren pushed, feeling the placenta slip free from her body. The midwife started to clear up the mess as Lauren leant against her husband, feeling drained of energy but completely happy.

"Get Eve…" she whispered once the room was all cleared up and she was looking a little more presentable. Joey kissed her briefly and then got to his feet. Lauren turned to the midwife, "I don't need to go to the hospital, right?"

"No, Lauren… everything is great, even though Holly has come a couple of weeks early and your husband delivered her… I don't see any need for you to go the hospital. Holly is a healthy seven and a half pounds and she looks perfect. I'll leave you and your family to the rest of your day… and I'll come back on Friday to check you both over again…"

"Thank you…" Lauren whispered. "And I'm sorry we interrupted your Christmas Day…"

"You didn't Lauren… this is one of the easiest deliveries I've ever been involved in. Your husband did a very good job… and if he ever decides to switch careers, you should get him to give me a call…"

"No offence but I don't plan on letting him see any other women like this…" Lauren said with a smile. She glanced down at Holly, "She's really okay?" she whispered.

"She's perfect, Lauren… You should try and feed her soon… would you like me to stay while you do?" she asked.

"No, it's fine…" Lauren murmured.

"Then I'll be off… Merry Christmas…" the midwife said.

"And to you…" Lauren said, only partially paying attention as she stared at Holly.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey walked into Eve's room, pushing the door shut behind him. He sat on the edge of Eve's bed, glancing at the time and seeing it was now after six in the morning. Eve stirred, opening her eyes and staring up at him, "Dada?" she whispered.

"Time to get up, baby girl…" he said quietly.

"Has Santy and Wudy been?" she asked, sitting up and clutching Mister Pink against her chest.

"Why don't we go and see, eh?"

"Pease, dada…" Eve said. She got to her feet and walked over the bed to her daddy, smiling as he lifted her in his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder, slipping her thumb into her mouth. Joey hugged Eve against his chest, a swell of emotion building inside him as what he'd just done sank in. He got to his feet and then headed towards the door. He opened it slowly and Eve gasped as she saw the tree all lit up, presents under it. "He came…" she said softly, removing her thumb long enough to speak.

"I think he did, sweetheart… do you think he brought you all of your presents?" Joey asked and Eve shrugged. "Let's go and see, shall we?" he stepped into the room and then moved slowly around the room, revealing Lauren and Holly, still sitting on the floor.

"Dada, did Santy bing me a baby ister?" Eve whispered.

"Maybe we should ask mummy that…" Joey said. He walked over to where Lauren sat and sat down beside her. "What do you say, Evie?"

"Did Santy bing me a ister, mama?" Eve said again.

"He did, Evie…" Lauren whispered. Eve clapped her hands excitedly, dropping Mister Pink and startling Holly slightly. Holly cried softly and Lauren rocked her gently.

"Sowwy mama…" Eve whispered.

"It's okay, darling… she was just saying hello to you…" Lauren said.

"Does she haf a name?"

"Her name is Holly Faith Branning…" Joey said.

"Olly is a pity name, dada…"

"Just as pretty as Evie is…" he said.

Eve looked at her little sister in awe 'Santy did it' she said softly.

'Santa did what?' Lauren asked her.

'I's asked Santy for a snow gobe and a itten and for da baby to come' she told them both 'he said he'd try and he did it' she beamed at them both. Joey and Lauren exchanged glances and then smiled. 'He was telling da troof'

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

"Would you like to open your presents, Evie?" Joey asked.

"Olly isn't my ony pesent?" she whispered.

"No, Holly was a surprise gift, darling…" Lauren told her, "And who do you think all those presents under the tree are for?"

"Are dey for me?" she said, her mouth dropping open in shock.

"A lot of them are, yes…" Joey said, "It looks like Santa was pretty impressed with how good you've been."

"Wow…"

"Shall we go and get some of the presents so you can start opening them?" Joey suggested. Eve nodded her head so they both crawled over to the tree and Eve chose some presents, Joey pulling them out from under the tree and pulling them back over to the sofa. He passed Eve the first gift and she tore off the paper. The presents were unwrapped quickly, Eve excited with each gift. The seventh or eighth gift she opened was a teddy bear… from her auntie Carol.

Eve looked at her mummy, "Does Olly has any pesents?" she asked.

"No, sweetheart, Holly is our present… she's decided to come early to us so there aren't any presents for her… but I'm sure she doesn't mind… She's just happy to be here…"

Eve looked down at the bear she was holding. She then looked up at her mummy and sister. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her hand and thrust the teddy towards her mummy, "Olly can have my pesent…" she whispered.

"It's okay, Eve… you keep it… Auntie Carol gave it to you…"

"I feels bad cos Olly don't have no pesents… She can share wiv me… I's no mind… I luv Olly… and I's have Miter Pink… I don't weally need anuva teddy…"

"Holly loves you too, Evie…" Lauren said, taking the bear from her daughter as tears flooded her eyes. "Come and give mummy a hug, sweetheart…" she said. Eve got to her feet and toddled over to her mummy. Lauren wrapped an arm around her and hugged her against her body. "Mummy loves you very much too, Evie…" she breathed into her hair.

"Luvoo mama…"

Holly stirred from her sleep and started to cry. Lauren reluctantly let go of Eve so she could rock Holly to try and quieten her. "Why don't you and I go and get breakfast, Evie…" Joey said, seeming to know that Lauren was going to try and breastfeed Holly.

"'Kay dada…" Eve said.

The two of them walked into the kitchen and once they were gone Lauren placed Holly on her lap and then removed the T-shirt she was still wearing. It was just seconds later that her newborn daughter latched onto her breast and began to feed. Lauren smiled as she heard her daughter's reply to Joey's question about what she wanted to breakfast. It shouldn't have been a surprise when she quickly said cake… some things never changed. She brushed the side of Holly's face as she continued to feed, smiling as she heard her husband manage to convince their eldest daughter to have some cereal instead. Joey appeared in the doorway and leant against the doorframe, "I'd forgotten how beautiful it is to see you do that, babe…" he said softly. "Do you need anything?" he asked her gently.

She smiled, "Your robe would be great, Joe…" she said, "and some underwear… nothing too nice though…"

"I'll just go and get them… maybe we can move you both onto the sofa as well…" he said as he walked across the room. He disappeared into the bedroom and then reappeared with his gown in his arms.

"Would you like to hold her… maybe wind her?" Lauren said, realising he hadn't even held her yet… well, not since he'd placed her on her chest anyway.

Joey's face lit up and he walked over. Holly's face screwed up slightly as Lauren pulled her from her breast but she quickly quietened as her daddy cradled her against his chest. He'd removed the blanket from around her so she was pressed against his bare chest now and Lauren could see him gazing down at her in wonder. He looked at Lauren, a smile on his face that showed every emotion he was feeling. He walked back towards her and held his hand out to her, helping her up to her feet. She picked up the gown from the back of the sofa where he'd put it moments earlier and she wrapped it around her body. "Try the pocket…" he told her softly and she reached into the pockets of the gown and found an old pair of knickers. She quickly put them on, already feeling much better. Joey was winding Holly now so Lauren carefully sat on the sofa, pulling the throw back over her legs so she didn't get chilly. "Do you want some more, Holly…?" Joey whispered softly, kissing his daughter on her forehead tenderly. He passed her back to Lauren and she was soon suckling once more. "I'd better go and check on Evie…" he said, bending down slightly and kissing Lauren on the mouth, "Thank you for the best Christmas present ever…" he murmured against her mouth.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

At about ten in the morning the doorbell rang and Joey went to answer it. "Hi dad…" Joey said as he answered the door.

Max frowned, surprised by his son-in-laws appearance. He was slightly underdressed. "Am I too early?" he asked, holding a cardboard box in his arms.

"Not at all… you should come in…" Joey said, stepping back, a huge smile on his face.

Max walked through to the lounge, stopping in the doorway as he saw his daughter and her family. "You've been busy, I see…" he said, glancing at Joey over his shoulder.

"Maybe you should get mum to come over too…" Joey said.

"Good thinking…" Max pulling his mobile out of his pocket and he dialled the number of his ex-wife's house. "Hi… I'm over at Lauren and Joey's… I think you should come over here…" he told her. "Now…"

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey opened the door for the second time in as many minutes and found Tanya, Oscar and Abi on the doorstep this time. "Come in…" he said, smiling at them.

"What's so important, Max? The kids were in the middle of unwrapping their presents…" Tanya said, clearly a little annoyed at her ex-husband's interruption.

"Look…" Max said, nodding his head towards the lounge.

Tanya took a couple of steps forward and peered into the room, "Lauren…" she whispered.

"Go inside…" Joey said. He ushered them all into the room but they stood to the side of the room, staring at Lauren, Eve and the baby on the sofa. Eve was sitting on her mummy's legs, her finger being clasped by her baby sister as she gazed at her in a mixture of wonder and adoration. "Holly Faith Branning was born this morning at 5.42am." Joey explained.

"Shouldn't she be in hospital?" Abi asked in concern.

"The midwife came out and checked them over and they're both okay… there was no need for them to go to hospital…"

"The midwife wasn't here when Holly was born?" Tanya asked, turning her eyes to her son-in-law. She saw his face colour slightly and guessed what he was about to say.

"Let's just say Holly was in a bit of a hurry… I delivered her…" Joey said softly, gazing at his wife and daughters. He walked over to the both, kneeling in front of the sofa and kissing Lauren gently.

"Kisskiss…" Eve said and her parents pulled apart laughing. Joey turned and reached for her, dragging her into his arms and hugging her too. "Luvoo dada… luvoo mama…" she said. She turned to her sister, "Luvoo too Olly…" she said, "I's gonna be the bestest ister ever…"

"I think Pops has got something for you actually, Evie…" Lauren said.

"He does…?" she whispered.

"It's another Christmas present…" Joey told her.

"More…?" She said. Joey nodded and put her on the floor. She walked over to her granddad, "Hi Pops!" she said, grinning up at him, "Mary Kissmass…" she told him.

"Merry Christmas, Eve…" he said. He crouched down in front of her, "I think Santa got a bit lost last night because he left one of your presents at my house instead of bringing it here…"

"He did?" she breathed, staring at the box he was holding her. The flaps at the top of the box shifted slightly and Eve gasped.

"Open it…" Max told her.

Eve lifted one of the flaps on the box and she let out a little squeak as she saw a little bundle of black and white fluff peered up at her. "Miss Itty…!" she cried out and the kitten purred. "Can I pick her up, Pops?" she asked.

"I don't see why not… but be careful…" he told her.

She reached into the box and her hands gently cupped under the kitten lifting it up. "Hi Miss Itty… I's Evie…" She turned and ran back over to her mummy and daddy, "mama, dada… look what Santy and Wudy gots me!" she told them excitedly. "Dis is the best Kissmass ever!" she happily declared.

 **A/N: So that is the last chapter of the story… just an epilogue to go which will be posted tomorrow. We really hope you liked this chapter. Send us a review and let us know your thoughts. Back tomorrow…**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN:** **Hello again... here is the epilogue of this story. I know that Eastendersfan444 and I have really enjoyed writing this story... and we kind of love the little family we've created. I know we promised a surprise in this chapter... but you're going to have to wait a little longer to discover what it is... So get reading... and then you'll find out everything you need to know...! Enjoy! xx**

 **Chapter 13 Epilogue: Christmas with Holly.**

Joey looked down in the cot, staring at their own Christmas miracle. He'd just put her to bed and she was fast asleep. He had this overwhelming love for her already deeply instilled in his heart, love he knew would blossom and grow to be the same size as the love he had for Lauren and his other daughter Evie. Never had a man been as blessed as Joey felt right now. He reached down and cupped Holly's head with his hand. She was beautiful, as could only be the case when she was her mother's daughter. For quite a while during their pregnancy, both Joey and Lauren had been convinced they were having another girl, although they'd never found out one way or another at any of their check-ups. Since then Joey had tried to imagine what she would look like and she looked exactly how he'd thought she would… just as pretty as Eve had been when she was first born and he hoped he'd be as lucky with his second daughter as he'd been with his first. He bent down and kissed Holly on the forehead, "I love you, Holly Faith Branning… mummy and daddy already love you very much…" he murmured, repeating the words he'd said to Eve when she was first born, "and there's a little girl out there that already adores you… after all she's given you one of her Christmas presents…" he told her. 'He's going to become your best friend and he's going to watch you sleep and play with you and keep you safe, he's called Mister White "Now sleep well, my little Christmas Holly…" he whispered to her.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey walked out of their bedroom, smiling when he saw Eve curled up against Lauren on the sofa. It had been a long day for all of them. Lauren's family had been there for an hour or so in the morning but had left about half eleven. Shortly after that the doorbell had rung again. Joey answered it and his mum was standing on the doorstep, a casserole dish in her hands. He'd ushered her in, taking the dish from her and then told her to go and say hello to the girls. He trailed behind her, smiling as he saw her smile when he saw Lauren holding Holly in her arms. Alice had been called and she'd also come over and both of them had been introduced to the newest Branning family member. Joey's mum had insisted on helping him cook dinner, congratulating him in the kitchen on the good job he'd done already that day. That was the first time the emotion of the morning had really got to Joey and he'd clung to her tightly as she hugged him, shedding a tear or two, his mum comforting him. His mum and sister left some time later, after Sarah had helped Joey start to get their dinner ready. Joey smiled as he walked back into the lounge, standing behind the sofa and looking down on his wife and eldest daughter. Lauren glanced up at him, "She's fast asleep…" he told her.

"It won't be long until this one is either," Lauren said, smiling at him as her fingers brushed through Eve's thick curls. "She's had quite an exciting day, all in all…"

Joey moved again and sat down beside his wife, putting his arm around her shoulder, "She's not the only one who's had an exciting day, is she?" he said softly, "We've all had quite a big day… and you and I didn't exactly have a lot of sleep last night either…" he reminded her. "Maybe once Evie has gone to bed, the two of us should go too…" he said, "After all, Holly is likely to have us both up during the night…"

"That would be nice, Joe…" Lauren whispered, her head resting on Joey's shoulder and she closed her eyes. "It's been a great day…" she breathed.

"It has been…" he agreed. "Do you know how many times I've cleaned up after Miss Kitty today?" he asked and Lauren giggled.

"I offered to do it but you wouldn't let me… you told me to stay on the sofa all day…"

"It was eight times… in case you want to know…" he informed her, "and then just when I was done with that Evie had an accident too. I've spent most of the day cleaning up pee…"

"And you did Holly's first nappy…" Lauren said softly.

"Don't remind me…" he groaned, "I'd completely forgotten quite what I was letting myself in for… no wonder you were happy for me to do it…" he grumbled.

"I thought it was an important father/daughter bonding experience…" she murmured, her hand brushing his chest.

"Dada…" Evie whispered, stirring from her mummy's side.

"Hello Evie… Have you had a nice day?" he asked. She crawled onto his lap, Mister Pink clenched in her hand.

"Yes dada…" she said, "Santy gave me evryfing I asked for…" She smiled, "I's a vewy good girl, dada…"

"Yes, you are, Evie," Joey said, hugging her. "Mummy and I were thinking it was probably time for good little girls to go to bed now… you've had a big day today…"

"Say night night to Miss Itty first?" she bartered.

"Miss Kitty's asleep in her basket in the kitchen, baby…" Lauren said.

Eve's bottom lip slipped out and she looked at them both with puppy dog eyes. "Pease mama… pease dada…"

"Just a few seconds, Evie… and you can't wake her up…" Joey said, never able to say no when either of his girls looked at him like that… no doubt it would be the same with Holly too.

"I's won't…I pwomise"

"I'll go and put Evie down for the night, I won't be long, babe…" Joey said softly to his wife, kissing her cheek. "Give mummy a kiss goodnight, baby girl…" he said to Eve.

Eve did as her daddy said, hugging her mummy tightly, "Night night mama… luvoo…" she whispered.

"Love you too, darling…" Lauren said.

Joey picked up Eve in his arms and she cuddled him too, "Let's go and say night night to Miss Kitty then," he whispered into her hair and she nodded her head, leaning her head against his as her eyes started to drift shut. Joey walked into the kitchen and over to the cat basket they'd set up earlier in the day. Curled up inside was the little black and white kitten (that was apparently what Evie had wanted). Even Joey, who wasn't a cat person, had to admit she was quite cute… and Eve doted on her… so Joey would put up with the cat fur… the litter tray… the current non-use of the litter tray… and everything really… because his little girl was happy and that was all that was important to Joey.

Eve stirred as she realised she was in the kitchen, squirming slightly in Joey's arms so he crouched down in front of the basket. "Night night Miss Itty…" she whispered, her arm reaching out to touch the sleeping kitten.

"Don't wake her baby girl… she's fast asleep… she's only little so she needs lots of sleep… just like Holly does…"

"See Olly…" Eve whispered suddenly.

"She's sleeping, Evie…"

"Pease dada…" she said, shifting again in his arms and kissing his cheek.

"Okay… but you're as quiet as a mouse…" Joey said. He walked back into the lounge and then opened the door to his and Lauren's bedroom. He stood at the side of the cot and they both peered down into it.

"Luvoo Olly…" Eve breathed. Joey smiled, kissing the side of her head tenderly.

"Come on, baby girl… time for bed for you…" Joey carried her back out of the room and into her bedroom. She was fading fast now and she was asleep before her head hit the pillow. He tucked her into her Frozen bed, pulling her duvet up and making sure Mister Pink was lying in her arms. He sat on the edge of her bed for a couple of minutes, staring at his little girl as she slept. "Night night Evie…" he whispered to her, pushing her hair back from her face and tucking it behind her ear.

 ***JL*JL*JL*JL***

Joey sat on the sofa next to Lauren and she shifted so she was lying against his side, "Did she go down okay?" she asked him.

"Yeah… we went and looked in on Holly before she'd let me take her to her room… She already adores her baby sister…"

"I'm glad… I was worried that she'd resent her being here…"

"Me too… but she seems fine…" Joey told her. "So are we having an early night?" he asked her softly.

"Yeah…" she breathed, not moving from where she lay. Joey moved, pushing her off him slightly so he could stand up. He lifted her in his arms and she smiled as she rested her head on his chest. "I could get used to you doing this." She whispered.

"Doing what? Looking after you…?" he asked as he carried her into their bedroom. He placed her on the bed and bent down, kissing her deeply. "I'll just go and turn all the lights off… don't go anywhere…" he said as he pulled away. He walked back into the lounge and switched off the Christmas tree lights, the lamp at the side of the room and the lights on the wall. He turned back to the bedroom, walking into it and shutting the door behind him. He glanced quickly at Holly and saw she was still fast asleep. "Merry Christmas Holly…Merry Christmas Mister White" he whispered to her, "Welcome to the mad house…" he added, his fingers reaching down and brushing through her soft hair. He straightened up again and turned towards the bed, "You make beautiful children, babe…" he said as he started to strip off his clothes. He glanced at the bed and saw Lauren had changed while he was in the lounge. Once he was naked he walked round to his side of the bed and climbed in, Lauren rolling over to face him.

"We make beautiful children, Joe…" she murmured.

Joey smiled, "That we do…" he whispered.

'You named the bear Mister White?' she asked him.

'Mmhmm, we have to be consistent' he told her with a smile, reaching for the bedside lamp, plunging the room into darkness. "Merry Christmas, darling…" he murmured to her.

'Merry Christmas to you too, baby'

 **We hope you enjoyed this story... Don't forget to send us one last review. It was such fun to write... and we're really pleased that people have liked it so much.**

 **Oh before I sign off... we promised you a surprise, didn't we? Did you think we'd forgotten? Well, here it is... WE HAVE ANOTHER STORY... We finished this one back in November... and we were so motivated and feeling festive that we started writing the next one... The first chapter (by me, 74CrazyChick) will be posted later today... assuming you want to read it that is... You'd better make sure to tell us... (hint hint)...**

 **The first chapter of Oh Come All Ye Faithful will be posted later this evening... Are you excited? We are.**

 **THE END.**


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